Honey from the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results and Partial Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 102-111 [E6-22496]
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102
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 1 / Wednesday, January 3, 2007 / Notices
Countervailing Duty Proceedings
Stainless Steel Bar from Italy (C–475–830) ........................................................................................
Brandon Farlander (202) 482–0182
Suspended Investigations
No suspended investigations are scheduled for initiation in February 2007. .....................................
The Department’s procedures for the
conduct of Sunset Reviews are set forth
in 19 CFR 351.218. Guidance on
methodological or analytical issues
relevant to the Department’s conduct of
Sunset Reviews is set forth in the
Department’s Policy Bulletin 98.3—
Policies Regarding the Conduct of Fiveyear (‘‘Sunset’’) Reviews of
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty
Orders; Policy Bulletin, 63 FR 18871
(April 16, 1998) (‘‘Sunset Policy
Bulletin’’). The Notice of Initiation of
Five-year (‘‘Sunset’’) Reviews provides
further information regarding what is
required of all parties to participate in
Sunset Reviews.
Puruant to 19 CFR 351.103(c), the
Department will maintain and make
available a service list for these
proceedings. To facilitate the timely
preparation of the service list(s), it is
requested that those seeking recognition
as interested parties to a proceeding
contact the Department in writing
within 15 days of the publication of the
Notice of Initition.
Please note that if the Department
receives a Notice of Intent to Participate
from a member of the domestic industry
within 15 days of the date of initiation,
the review will continue. Thereafter,
any interested party wishing to
participate in the Sunset Review must
provide substantive comments in
response to the notice of initiation no
later than 30 days after the date of
initiation.
This notice is not required by statute
but is published as a service to the
international trading community.
Dated: December 21, 2006.
Gary Taverman,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import
Administration.
[FR Doc. E6–22491 Filed 12–29–06; 8:45 am]
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BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
(A–580–816)
Corrosion–Resistant Carbon Steel Flat
Products from Korea: Extension of
Time Limits for the Final Results of
Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review
Import Administration,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Victoria Cho at (202) 482–5075, AD/
CVD Operations, Office 3, Import
Administration, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution
Ave, NW., Washington, DC 20230.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
AGENCY:
Background
On September 28, 2005, the U.S.
Department of Commerce
(‘‘Department’’) published a notice of
initiation of the administrative review of
the antidumping duty order on
corrosion–resistant carbon steel flat
products from Korea, covering the
period August 1, 2004 to July 31, 2005.
See Initiation of Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Administrative
Reviews and Request for Revocation in
Part, 70 FR 56631 (September 28, 2005).
On September 11, 2006, the Department
published the preliminary results of this
review. See Certain Corrosion–Resistant
Carbon Steel Flat Products from the
Republic of Korea: Notice of Preliminary
Results of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review, 71 FR 53370
(September 11, 2006). The final results
of this review are currently due no later
than January 9, 2007.
Extension of Time Limit of Preliminary
Results
Section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Tariff Act
of 1930, as amended (‘‘the Act’’),
requires the Department to issue final
results within 120 days after the date on
which the preliminary results are
published. However, if it is not
practicable to complete the review
within that time period, section
751(a)(3)(A) of the Act allows the
Department to extend the time limit for
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the final results to a maximum of 180
days. See also 19 CFR 351.213(h)(2).
We determine that it is not practicable
to complete the final results of this
review within the original time limit
because we need additional time to
evaluate arguments and information
submitted by the parties with respect to
model–match methodology, indirect
selling expenses, constructed export
price offsets and duty drawback.
Therefore, the Department is extending
fully the time limit for the final results
of the above–referenced review. As that
date falls on a Saturday, the final results
will be due no later than the next
business day, Monday, March 12, 2007.
This extension is in accordance with
section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act and 19
CFR 351.213(h)(2).
Dated: December 22, 2006.
Gary Taverman,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import
Administration.
[FR Doc. E6–22495 Filed 12–29–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A–570–863]
Honey from the People’s Republic of
China: Preliminary Results and Partial
Rescission of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review
Import Administration,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: In response to requests from
interested parties, the Department of
Commerce (the Department) is
conducting the fourth administrative
review of the antidumping duty order
on honey from the People’s Republic of
China (PRC). The period of review
(POR) is December 1, 2004, through
November 30, 2005. We preliminarily
determine that four companies have
failed to cooperate by not acting to the
best of their ability to comply with our
requests for information and, as a result,
should be assigned a rate based on
adverse facts available. We have also
preliminarily determined that a fifth
respondent made sales to the United
AGENCY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 1 / Wednesday, January 3, 2007 / Notices
States of the subject merchandise at
prices below normal value.
We invite interested parties to
comment on these preliminary results.
Parties that submit comments are
requested to submit with each argument
(1) a statement of the issue and (2) a
brief summary of the argument(s).
EFFECTIVE DATE: January 3, 2007.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judy
Lao or Helen Kramer, AD/CVD
Operations, Office 7, Import
Administration, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230;
telephone: (202) 482–7924 or (202) 482–
0405, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Background
On December 1, 2005, the Department
published an Antidumping or
Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or
Suspended Investigation; Opportunity
to Request an Administrative Review, 70
FR 72109 (December 1, 2005). On
December 29, 2005, Jinfu Trading Co.,
Ltd. (Jinfu) and Wuhan Shino–Food
Trade Co., Ltd. (Shino–Food), requested,
in accordance with section 351.213(b) of
the Department’s regulations, an
administrative review of entries of
subject merchandise made during the
POR. Also on December 29, 2005,
Tianjin Eulia Honey Co., Ltd. (Eulia),
Cheng Du Wai Yuan Bee Products Co.,
Ltd. (Chengdu Waiyuan), and Kunshan
Xin’an Trade Co., Ltd. (Kunshan Xin’an)
requested that the Department conduct
an administrative review of each
respective company’s entries during the
POR.
On December 30, 2005, the American
Honey Producers Association and the
Sioux Honey Association (collectively,
petitioners), requested, in accordance
with 19 C.F.R. § 351.213(b), an
administrative review of entries of
subject merchandise made during the
POR by 25 Chinese producers/
exporters.1
1 The request included: Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region Native Produce and Animal
By-Products Import & Export Corp. (Inner
Mongolia); Kunshan Foreign Trading Company
(Kunshan); Zhejiang Native Produce and Animal
By-Products Import & Export Corp. aka Zhejiang
Native Produce and Animal By-Products Import &
Export Group Corp.; High Hope International Group
Jiangsu Foodstuffs Import & Export Corp. (High
Hope); Shanghai Eswell Enterprise Co., Ltd.; Anhui
Native Produce Import & Export Corp.; Henan
Native Produce Import & Export Corp. (Henan);
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Native
Produce and Animal By-Products; Shanghai Xiuwei
International Trading Co., Ltd. (Shanghai Xiuwei);
Sichuan-Dujiangyan Dubao Bee Industrial Co., Ltd.
(Dubao); Wuhan Bee Healthy Company, Ltd.; Jinfu
Trading Co., Ltd.; Shanghai Shinomiel International
Trade Corporation (Shanghai Shinomiel); Anhui
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Also on December 30, 2005, Anhui
Honghui Foodstuff (Group) Co., Ltd.
(Anhui Honghui) and Jiangsu Kanghong
Natural Healthfoods Co., Ltd. (Jiangsu),
requested, in accordance with section
19 C.F.R. § 351.213(b), an administrative
review of entries of subject merchandise
made during the POR.
On February 1, 2006, the Department
initiated an administrative review of 27
Chinese companies. See Initiation of
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty
Administrative Reviews and Request for
Revocation in Part, 71 FR 5241
(February 1, 2006). On February 2, 2006,
Anhui Native Produce Import and
Export Corporation submitted a no–
shipments letter to the Department
requesting that the administrative
review as to the company be rescinded.
On February 13, 2006, petitioners
withdrew their review request for
Wuhan Bee Healthy Co., Ltd. On
February 23, 2006, petitioners filed a
letter withdrawing their review request
for Eurasia, Foodworld, Henan, High
Hope, Inner Mongolia, Inner Mongolia
Youth, Kunshan, Shanghai Shinomiel,
Shanghai Xiuwei, Dubao, Wuhu Qinshi
Tangye, and Zhejiang Willing Foreign
Trading Co., Ltd. On February 27, 2006,
Shanghai Eswell Enterprise Co., Ltd.
(Eswell) submitted a no–shipments
letter to the Department requesting
rescission of its administrative review.
On February 28, 2006, the Department
issued antidumping duty questionnaires
to nine PRC producers/exporters of the
subject merchandise covered by this
administrative review. On March 6,
2006, the Department issued an
antidumping duty questionnaire to
Apiarist Co.
On March 7, 2006, Zhejiang Native
Produce and Animal By–Products
Import & Export Group Corp. (Zhejiang)
and its affiliates, including Zhejiang
Willing Foreign Trading Co., Ltd.,
submitted a no–shipments letter to the
Department requesting rescission of its
administrative review.2 On March 9,
2006, both Chengdu Waiyuan and
Kunshan Xin’an withdrew their requests
for administrative review, stating that
neither company intended to participate
Honghui Foodstuff (Group) Co., Ltd.; Cheng Du Wai
Yuan Bee Products Co., Ltd.; Eurasia Bee’s Products
Co., Ltd. (Eurasia); Foodworld International Club,
Ltd. (Foodworld); Inner Mongolia Youth Trade
Development Co., Ltd. (Inner Mongolia Youth);
Apiarist Co.; Kunshan Xin’an Trade Co., Ltd.;
Shanghai Taiside Trading Co., Ltd.; Wuhan ShinoFood Trade co., Ltd.; Wuhu Qinshi Tangye;
Zhejiang Willing Foreign Trading Co., Ltd.; and
Jiangsu Kanghong Natural Healthfoods Co., Ltd.
2 On March 9, 2006, Zhejiang submitted a letter
clarifying that it intended to include a request for
rescission for both itself and its affiliates, including
Zhejiang Willing Foreign Trading Co., Ltd., in its
March 7, 2006, letter.
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in the proceeding. On March 10, 2006,
Anhui Honghui, Jiangsu and Shino–
Food submitted their respective
quantity and value responses to the
Department’s questionnaire. On March
13, 2006, Jinfu submitted a no–
shipments letter to the Department
requesting rescission of its
administrative review.
On March 20, 2006, Shino–Food
submitted its section A response, and
the exhibits for its section A response
on March 23, 2006. The exhibits were
submitted one day past the deadline for
submission. See the Department’s
March 22, 2006, Memorandum to the
File.
On March 31, 2006, petitioners met
with the Department to discuss issues in
the present administrative review and to
notify the Department that they had not
been served with copies of Shino–
Food’s section A response. See the
Department April 3, 2006,
Memorandum to the File. On April 3,
2006, the Department submitted a
Memorandum to the File in which it
explained that only three respondents
(Anhui Honghui, Jiangsu, and Shino–
Food) are participating in this
administrative review (i.e., have not
submitted no–shipment letters or letters
indicating they did not intend to
participate in the administrative
review). See the Department’s April 3,
2006, Memorandum to the File.
Accordingly, the Department explained
that it would not engage in a respondent
selection process. On April 4, 2006,
both Anhui Honghui and Jiangsu
submitted their responses to section A
of the Department’s questionnaire. On
April 7, 2006, petitioners withdrew
their review request for Anhui Native
Produce Import & Export Corp., Apiarist
Co., Eswell, Zhejiang, and Jinfu.
On April 17, 2006, the Department
sent a memorandum to the Department’s
Office of Policy requesting a list of
surrogate countries to be used in this
proceeding, and received a
memorandum containing the Office of
Policy’s potential surrogate countries on
April 20, 2006.3
On April 19, 2006, the Department
issued supplemental sections A, C, and
D questionnaires to Shino–Food. On
April 27, 2006, petitioners submitted
comments on Shino–Food’s, March 20,
2006, section A, and April 3, 2006,
sections C, and D questionnaire
responses. On May 1, 2006, Anhui
Honghui and Jiangsu submitted their
respective responses to sections C and D
3 The Department notes that a separate
memorandum from the Office of Policy was sent on
April 24, 2006, to Office 7 Program Manager
Abdelali Elouaradia to account for the different
period of review for Eulia.
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of the Department’s supplemental
questionnaires.
On May 4, 2006, Shino–Food
submitted its response to the
Department’s April 19, 2006,
supplemental questionnaire. On June
17, 2006, Shino–Food submitted its
response to the Department’s June 9,
2006, supplemental questionnaire. On
June 26, 2006, Anhui Honghui
submitted its response to the
Department’s June 8, 2006,
supplemental questionnaire. On June
27, 2006, Jiangsu submitted a
withdrawal letter to the Department in
which it explained that it would no
longer participate in the administrative
review. On July 27, 2006, Anhui
Honghui submitted comments on
surrogate information with which to
value the factors of production in this
proceeding. On June 30 and July 30,
2006, Shino–Food submitted letters to
the Department stating that due to the
unavailability of its general manger, it
would not be able to participate in
verification during any of the times
proposed by the Department. See ‘‘Use
of Facts Otherwise Available and the
PRC–Wide Rate’’ section below for a
complete discussion of Shino–Food.
On August 10, 2006, petitioners
submitted comments premised on the
Department’s verification of Anhui
Honghui, which did not occur. On the
same date, Anhui Honghui submitted its
sales reconciliation. On August 16,
2006, the Department published an
extension of the time limits to complete
these preliminary results. See Honey
from the People’s Republic of China:
Notice of Extension of Time Limit for
the Preliminary Results of the
Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review, 71 FR 47170 (August 16, 2006).
On September 8, 2006, the
Department issued a second
supplemental questionnaire to Anhui
Honghui, to which Anhui Honghui
responded on September 29, 2006. On
November 13, 2006, the Department
again extended the time limits for the
preliminary results. In the same
publication the Department also aligned
the POR of the current new shipper
reviews with this administrative review.
See Honey from the People’s Republic of
China: Notice of Extension of Time
Limit for the Preliminary Results of the
Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review and New Shipper Reviews, 71
FR 66165 (November 13, 2006). On
November 30, 2006, the Department
submitted a surrogate country selection
memorandum to the file. See the
Department’s November 30, 2006,
Memorandum to the File. On December
4, 2006, the Department put on the
record of the present administrative
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review certain factors of production
contained on the record of the current
new shipper reviews of honey from the
PRC. See the Department’s December 4,
2006, Memorandum to the File.
Scope of the Antidumping Duty Order
The products covered by this order
are natural honey, artificial honey
containing more than 50 percent natural
honey by weight, preparations of natural
honey containing more than 50 percent
natural honey by weight, and flavored
honey. The subject merchandise
includes all grades and colors of honey
whether in liquid, creamed, comb, cut
comb, or chunk form, and whether
packaged for retail or in bulk form.
The merchandise subject to this order
is currently classifiable under
subheadings 0409.00.00, 1702.90.90,
and 2106.90.99 of the Harmonized Tariff
Schedule of the United States (HTSUS).
Although the HTSUS subheadings are
provided for convenience and customs
purposes, the Department’s written
description of the merchandise under
order is dispositive.
Preliminary Partial Rescission of
Administrative Review
As explained above, Anhui Native
Produce Import & Export Corp., Eswell,
Zhejiang, and Jinfu (collectively, ‘‘the
four companies’’) all submitted no–
shipment letters to the Department in
which they requested rescission from
this administrative review. To
determine whether the four companies
made shipments during the POR, the
Department examined PRC honey
shipment data maintained by U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Based on the information obtained from
CBP, we found no entries of subject
merchandise during the POR
manufactured or exported by the four
companies to the United States.
Therefore, pursuant to 19 C.F.R.
§ 351.213(d)(3), the Department is
preliminarily rescinding this review
with respect to the four companies.
Additionally, as explained above, on
February 23, 2006, pursuant to 19 C.F.R.
§ 351.213(d)(1), petitioners withdrew
their review requests for the following
13 companies: Eurasia, Foodworld,
Henan, High Hope, Inner Mongolia4,
Inner Mongolia Youth, Kunshan,
Shanghai Shinomiel, Shanghai Taiside
Trading Co., Ltd., Shanghai Xiuwei,
Dubao, Wuhun Qinshi Tangye, and
4 The Department notes that while petitioners
requested a review for Inner Mongolia Autonomous
Region Native Produce and Animal By-Products
Import & Export Corp., and Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region Native Produce and Animal
By-Products separately, both names refer to the
same company.
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Zhejiang Willing Foreign Trading Co.,
Ltd. In addition, on April 7, 2006, also
pursuant to 19 C.F.R. § 351.213(d)(1),
petitioners withdrew their review
request for Apiarist Co.
Because petitioners submitted their
requests for withdrawal of review
within the 90-day deadline mandated by
19 C.F.R. § 351.213(d)(1), and no other
party requested a review for these
companies, the Department is
preliminarily rescinding this
administrative review with respect to
the 14 companies listed above.
Separate Rates
In proceedings involving non–market
economy (NME) countries, the
Department begins with a rebuttable
presumption that all companies within
the country are subject to government
control and, thus, should be assigned a
single antidumping duty rate unless an
exporter can affirmatively demonstrate
an absence of government control, both
in law (de jure) and in fact (de facto),
with respect to its export activities. In
this review Anhui Honghui submitted
information in support of its claim for
a company–specific rate.
To establish whether a firm is
sufficiently independent from
government control of its export
activities to be entitled to a separate
rate, the Department analyzes each
entity exporting the subject
merchandise under a test arising from
the Notice of Final Determination of
Sales at Less Than Fair Value: Sparklers
from the People’s Republic of China, 56
FR 20588 at Comment 1 (May 6, 1991)
(Sparklers), as amplified by Notice of
Final Determination of Sales at Less
Than Fair Value: Silicon Carbide from
the People’s Republic of China, 59 FR
22585, 22586–7 (May 2, 1994) (Silicon
Carbide). The Department assigns
separate rates in NME cases only if
respondents can demonstrate the
absence of both de jure and de facto
government control over export
activities.
Anhui Honghui provided complete
separate–rate information in its
responses to our original and
supplemental questionnaires.
Accordingly, we performed a separate–
rates analysis to determine whether this
exporter is independent from
government control.
For the reasons discussed below in
the section titled ‘‘The Use of Facts
Otherwise Available and PRC–wide
Rate,’’ we have preliminarily
determined that Jiangsu, Shino–Food,
Chengdu Waiyuan, and Kunshan Xin’an
do not qualify for a separate rate and are
instead part of the PRC–wide entity.
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Absence of De Jure Control
The Department considers the
following de jure criteria in determining
whether an individual company may be
granted a separate rate: (1) an absence of
restrictive stipulations associated with
an individual exporter’s business and
export licenses; (2) any legislative
enactments decentralizing control of
companies; and (3) other formal
measures by the government
decentralizing control of companies. See
Sparklers, 56 FR at 20589. As discussed
below, our analysis shows that the
evidence on the record supports a
preliminary finding of de jure absence
of government control for Anhui
Honghui based on each of these factors.
Anhui Honghui has placed on the
record a number of documents to
demonstrate absence of de jure control,
including the ‘‘Company Law of the
People’s Republic of China’’ (December
29, 1993) (Company Law), the ‘‘Foreign
Trade Law of the People’s Republic of
China’’ (May 12, 1994) (Foreign Trade
Law), the revised Foreign Trade Law
(April 6, 2004), and ‘‘Administrative
Regulations of the People’s Republic of
China Governing the Registration of
Legal Corporations’’ (June 3, 1988)
(Legal Corporations Regulations). See
Exhibit 3 of Anhui Honghui’s April 4,
2006, submission (section A response).
Anhui Honghui also submitted a copy of
its business license in Exhibit 4 of its
section A response. The Feidong County
Industrial and Commercial
Administration Bureau issued this
license. Anhui Honghui explains that its
business license defines the scope of the
company’s business activities and
ensures the company has sufficient
capital to continue its business
operations. Anhui Honghui affirms that
its business operations are limited to the
scope of the license, although the
license can be amended if the company
wishes to expand the scope of its
operations, and that the license may be
revoked if the company has insufficient
capital, or engages in activities outside
the scope of its business. Further, Anhui
Honghui states that the license must be
renewed or reviewed annually, and to
obtain a renewal, it must apply for a
renewal and provide a copy of its most
recent financial statements to the
issuing authority.
We note that Anhui Honghui states
that it is governed by the Company Law,
which it claims governs the
establishment of limited liability
companies and provides that such a
company shall operate independently
and be responsible for its own profits
and losses. Anhui Honghui has placed
on the record the Foreign Trade Law
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and stated that this law allows it full
autonomy from the central authority in
governing its business operations. We
have reviewed Article 11 of Chapter II
of the Foreign Trade Law, which states,
‘‘foreign trade dealers shall enjoy full
autonomy in their business operation
and be responsible for their own profits
and losses in accordance with the law.’’
As in prior cases, we have analyzed
such PRC laws and found that they
establish an absence of de jure control.
See, e.g., Pure Magnesium from the
People’s Republic of China: Final
Results of New Shipper Review, 63 FR
3085, 3086 (January 21, 1998) and
Preliminary Results of New Shipper
Review: Certain Preserved Mushrooms
From the People’s Republic of China, 66
FR 30695, 30696 (June 7, 2001), as
affirmed in Final Results of New
Shipper Review: Certain Preserved
Mushrooms From the People’s Republic
of China, 66 FR 45006 (August 27,
2001). Therefore, we preliminarily
determine that there is an absence of de
jure control over the export activities of
Anhui Honghui.
Absence of De Facto Control
Typically, the Department considers
four factors in evaluating whether a
respondent is subject to de facto
government control of its export
functions: (1) whether the export prices
are set by, or subject to, the approval of
a government authority; (2) whether the
respondent has authority to negotiate
and sign contracts, and other
agreements; (3) whether the respondent
has autonomy from the government in
making decisions regarding the
selection of its management; and (4)
whether the respondent retains the
proceeds of its export sales and makes
independent decisions regarding
disposition of profits or financing of
losses. See Silicon Carbide, 59 FR at
22587. Therefore, the Department has
determined that an analysis of de facto
control is critical in determining
whether respondents are, in fact, subject
to a degree of government control,
which would preclude the Department
from assigning separate rates.
Anhui Honghui has asserted the
following: (1) it is a privately owned
company; (2) there is no government
participation in its setting of export
prices; (3) its general manager has the
authority to bind sales contracts; (4) the
company’s executive director appoints
the company’s management and it does
not have to notify government
authorities of its management selection;
(5) there are no restrictions on the use
of its export revenue; and (6) its
executive director decides how profits
will be used. We have examined the
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105
documentation provided and note that it
does not suggest that pricing is
coordinated among exporters of PRC
honey.
Consequently, because evidence on
the record indicates an absence of
government control, both in law and in
fact, over Anhui Honghui’s export
activities, we preliminarily determine
that Anhui Honghui has met the criteria
for the application of a separate rate.
Use of Facts Otherwise Available and
the PRC–Wide Rate
Anhui Honghui, Shino–Food, Jiangsu,
Chengdu Waiyuan, and Kunshan Xin’an
were given the opportunity to respond
to the Department’s questionnaires. As
explained above, we received complete
questionnaire responses only from
Anhui Honghui and we have calculated
a separate rate for this company. The
PRC–wide rate applies to all entries of
subject merchandise except for entries
from PRC producers/exporters that have
their own calculated rate.
Shino–Food, Jiangsu, Chengdu
Waiyuan, and Kunshan Xin’an are
appropriately considered to be part of
the PRC–wide entity because they failed
to establish their eligibility for a
separate rate. Because the PRC–wide
entity did not provide requested
information necessary to the instant
proceeding, it is necessary that we
review the PRC–wide entity. In doing
so, we note that section 776(a)(1) of the
Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, (the
Act), mandates that the Department use
the facts available if necessary
information is not available on the
record of an antidumping proceeding. In
addition, section 776(a)(2) of the Act
provides that if an interested party or
any other person: (A) withholds
information that has been requested by
the administering authority; (B) fails to
provide such information by the
deadlines for the submission of the
information or in the form and manner
requested, subject to subsections (c)(1)
and (e) of section 782 of the Act; (C)
significantly impedes a proceeding
under this title; or (D) provides such
information but the information cannot
be verified as provided in section 782(i)
of the Act, the Department shall, subject
to section 782(d) of the Act, use the facts
otherwise available in reaching the
applicable determination under this
title. Where the Department determines
that a response to a request for
information does not comply with the
request, section 782(d) of the Act
provides that the Department shall
promptly inform the party submitting
the response of the nature of the
deficiency and shall, to the extent
practicable, provide that party with an
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opportunity to remedy or explain the
deficiency. Section 782(d) of the Act
additionally states that if the party
submits further information that is
unsatisfactory or untimely, the
administering authority may, subject to
subsection (e), disregard all or part of
the original and subsequent responses.
Section 782(e) of the Act provides that
the Department shall not decline to
consider information that is submitted
by an interested party and is necessary
to the determination but does not meet
all the applicable requirements
established by the administering
authority if: (1) the information is
submitted by the deadline established
for its submission; (2) the information
can be verified; (3) the information is
not so incomplete that it cannot serve as
a reliable basis for reaching the
applicable determination; (4) the
interested party has demonstrated that it
acted to the best of its ability in
providing the information and meeting
the requirements established by the
administering authority with respect to
the information; and (5) the information
can be used without undue difficulties.
The Department finds that the PRC–
wide entity (including Shino–Food,
Jiangsu, Chengdu Waiyuan, and
Kunshan Xin’an) did not respond to our
request for information and that
necessary information either was not
provided, or the information provided
cannot be verified and is not sufficiently
complete to enable the Department to
use it for these preliminary results.
Therefore, we find it necessary, under
section 776(a)(2) of the Act, to use facts
otherwise available as the basis for the
preliminary results of this review for the
PRC–wide entity.
As stated above in the ‘‘Background’’
section, on December 29, 2005, Chengdu
Waiyuan and Kunshan Xin’an requested
an administrative review. On December
30, 2005, petitioners requested a review
with respect to these two companies. On
March 9, 2006, both Chengdu Waiyuan
and Kunshan Xin’an withdrew their
requests for administrative review,
stating that neither company intended
to participate in this administrative
review. In their February 23, 2006, and
April 7, 2006, withdrawal of review
request letters, petitioners did not
withdraw their request for review with
respect to either Chengdu Waiyuan or
Kunshan Xin’an.5 Chengdu Waiyuan
and Kunshan Xin’an failed to respond to
the Department’s antidumping
questionnaires. The Department has no
5 In both their February 23, 2006, and April 7,
2006, withdrawal of review request letters,
petitioners stated that they wanted the
administrative review to continue with respect to
both Chengdu Waiyuan and Kunshan Xin’an.
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information on the record for Chengdu
Waiyuan and Kunshan Xin’an with
which to calculate a dumping margin or
determine if either is eligible for a
separate rate in this proceeding;
therefore, we find that Chengdu
Waiyuan and Kunshan Xin’an have
significantly impeded the proceeding,
pursuant to sections 776(a)(2)(A) and
776(a)(2)(B) of the Act. Because
Chengdu Waiyuan and Kunshan Xin’an
did not respond to the Department’s
questionnaires, sections 782(d) and (e)
of the Act are not applicable.
As stated above in the ‘‘Background’’
section, Shino–Food and Jiangsu
responded to the Department’s initial
antidumping questionnaire, with
Shino–Food responding to two
subsequent supplemental
questionnaires. With regard to Shino–
Food, as stated above in the
‘‘Background’’ section, Shino–Food
submitted letters to the Department in
which it stated that it would not
participate in verification, thereby
failing to accommodate the
Department’s repeated attempts to
schedule verification. On June 23, 2006,
the Department contacted Shino–Food,
and proposed a five-day verification of
Shino–Food at any time between July 10
and July 21, 2006. See the Department’s
June 29, 2006, Memorandum to the File.
Shino–Food informed the Department
that Shino–Food’s general manager was
experiencing health problems and
would not be able to accommodate the
Department’s proposed verification
dates. Shino–Food also informed the
Department that its sales manager
would be in Europe during the proposed
verification dates and, thus, would not
be able to assist the Department with
verification. On June 27, 2006, the
Department proposed verification of
Shino–Food during August 14 - 18,
2006, after the return of Shino Food’s
sales manager from his trip. On June 28,
2006, Shino–Food stated it nevertheless
would not able to participate in
verification during that week, because
the general manager insisted that he
must be present for verification and that
no one else could participate in his
absence. See the Department’s June 29,
2006, Memorandum to the File.
On June 30, 2006, the Department
issued a letter to Shino–Food reviewing
the telephone conversations that took
place between the Department and the
company. In this letter, the Department
described its attempts to schedule
verification of Shino–Food and Shino–
Food’s rejections of our requests. We
provided an additional opportunity for
Shino–Food to accept the proposed
verification dates of August 14 - 18,
2006, and warned the company that the
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Department would rely on adverse
information in conducting its dumping
analysis if Shino–Food continued to
refuse to allow verification. On June 30,
2006, Shino–Food submitted a letter
reiterating that due to the unavailability
of its general manger, it would not be
able to participate in verification during
the Department’s proposed August
dates.
On July 19, 2006, the Department
transferred reconciliation information
collected from the verification of Shino–
Food during the antidumping duty new
shipper review to the record of the
present administrative review. See the
Department’s July 19, 2006,
Memorandum to the File.
On July 20, 2006, Shino–Food
submitted a letter to the Department
stating that due to the unavailability of
its management personnel, it would not
be able to participate in verification
during the production season of the
current POR. On July 24, 2006, the
Department submitted a memorandum
to the file in which we clarified that the
Department did not request verification
during the production season of Shino–
Food. The Department then made a
third attempt to schedule verification
with Shino–Food for September 18 - 22,
2006, which the company also refused.
See the Department’s July 24, 2006,
Memorandum to the File.
Due to Shino–Food’s refusal to
schedule verification of its submitted
information by the Department, as
explained above, we preliminarily find
that Shino–Food has failed to cooperate
to the best of its ability and has
significantly impeded the proceeding.
Therefore, pursuant to sections
776(a)(2)(A), (B), and (C) of the Act, the
Department preliminarily finds that the
application of facts available is
appropriate for these preliminary
results.
With regard to Jiangsu, on June 27,
2006, the Department received a letter
from Jiangsu stating that it was
withdrawing its participation in this
review. Due to Jiangsu’s failure to
participate in these proceedings and in
verification, we preliminarily find that
Jiangsu has significantly impeded the
proceeding. Therefore, pursuant to
sections 776(a)(2)(A), (B), and (C) of the
Act, the Department preliminarily finds
that the application of facts available is
appropriate for these preliminary
results.
Application of Adverse Inference
Section 776(b) of the Act provides
that, in selecting from among the facts
available, the Department may use an
inference that is adverse to the interests
of the respondent if it determines that
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a party has failed to cooperate to the
best of its ability. Adverse inferences are
appropriate ‘‘to ensure that the party
does not obtain a more favorable result
by failing to cooperate than if it had
cooperated fully.’’ See Statement of
Administrative Action (SAA)
accompanying the Uruguay Round
Agreements Act, H. Doc. No. 316, 103d
Cong., 2d Session, Vol. 1 (1994) at 870.
In determining whether a respondent
has failed to cooperate to the best of its
ability, the Department need not make
a determination regarding the
willfulness of a respondent’s conduct.
See Nippon Steel Corp. v. United States,
337 F. 3d 1373, 1379–1384 (Fed. Cir.
2003). Furthermore, ’’. . . affirmative
evidence of bad faith on the part of a
respondent is not required before the
Department may make an adverse
inference.’’ Antidumping Duties;
Countervailing Duties: Final Rule, 62 FR
27296, 27340 (May 19, 1997).
In determining whether a party failed
to cooperate to the best of its ability, the
Department considers whether a party
could comply with the request for
information, and whether a party paid
insufficient attention to its statutory
duties. See Pacific Giant Inc. v. United
States, 223 F. Supp 2d 1336, 1342–43
(CIT 2002). Furthermore, the
Department also considers the accuracy
and completeness of submitted
information, and whether the
respondent has hindered the calculation
of accurate dumping margins. See
Certain Welded Carbon Steel Pipes and
Tubes from Thailand: Final Results of
Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review, 62 FR 53808, 53819–53820
(October 16, 1997).
Pursuant to section 776(b) of the Act,
we find that the PRC–wide entity
(including Shino–Food, Jiangsu,
Chengdu Waiyuan, and Kunshan
Xin’an) failed to cooperate by not acting
to the best of its ability to comply with
requests for information. As discussed
above, the PRC–wide entity informed
the Department that it would not
participate in this review, or otherwise
did not provide the requested
information, despite repeated requests
that it do so. This information was in
the sole possession of the respondents,
and could not be obtained otherwise.
Thus, because the PRC–wide entity
refused to participate fully in this
proceeding, we find it appropriate to
use an inference that is adverse to the
interests of the PRC–wide entity in
selecting from among the facts
otherwise available. By doing so, we
ensure that the companies that are part
of the PRC–wide entity will not obtain
a more favorable result by failing to
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cooperate than had they cooperated
fully in this review.
Selection of AFA Rate
In deciding which facts to use as
AFA, section 776(b) of the Act and 19
C.F.R. § 351.308(c)(1) authorize the
Department to rely on information
derived from: (1) the petition; (2) a final
determination in the investigation; (3)
any previous review or determination;
or (4) any information placed on the
record. In reviews, it is the Department’s
practice to select, as AFA, the highest
rate determined for any respondent in
any segment of the proceeding. See, e.g.,
Freshwater Crawfish Tail Meat from the
People’s Republic of China; Notice of
Final Results of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review, 68 FR 19504,
19508 (April 21, 2003).
The U.S. Court of International Trade
and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Federal Circuit have consistently
upheld the Department’s practice in this
regard. See Rhone Poulenc, Inc. v.
United States, 899 F.2d 1185, 1190 (Fed.
Circ. 1990) (Rhone Poulenc); NSK Ltd. v.
United States, 346 F. Supp. 2d 1312,
1335 (CIT 2004) (upholding a 73.55
percent total AFA rate, the highest
available dumping margin from a
different respondent in a LTFV
investigation); see also Kompass Food
Trading Int’l v. United States, 24 CIT
678, 683–684 (2000) (upholding a 51.16
percent total AFA rate, the highest
available dumping margin from a
different, fully cooperative respondent);
and Shanghai Taoen International
Trading Co., Ltd. v. United States, 360
F. Supp. 2d 1339, 1347–1348 (CIT 2005)
(upholding a 223.01 percent total AFA
rate, the highest available dumping
margin from a different respondent in a
previous administrative review).
The Department’s practice when
selecting an adverse rate from among
the possible sources of information is to
ensure that the margin is sufficiently
adverse ‘‘as to effectuate the purpose of
the facts available role to induce
respondents to provide the Department
with complete and accurate information
in a timely manner.’’ Static Random
Access Memory Semiconductors from
Taiwan; Final Determination of Sales at
Less than Fair Value, 63 FR 8909, 8932
(February 23, 1998). The Department’s
practice also ensures ‘‘that the party
does not obtain a more favorable result
by failing to cooperate than if it had
cooperated fully.’’ SAA at 870. See also
Final Determination of Sales at Less
than Fair Value: Certain Frozen and
Canned Warmwater Shrimp from Brazil,
69 FR 76910, 76912 (December 23,
2004). In choosing the appropriate
balance between providing respondents
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107
with an incentive to respond accurately
and imposing a rate that is reasonably
related to the respondent’s prior
commercial activity, selecting the
highest prior margin ‘‘reflects a common
sense inference that the highest prior
margin is the most probative evidence of
current margins, because, if it were not
so, the importer, knowing of the rule,
would have produced current
information showing the margin to be
less.’’ Rhone Poulenc, 899 F.2d at 1190.
Consistent with the statute, court
precedent, and its practice, the
Department has preliminarily assigned
the rate of 212.39 percent, the highest
rate determined in any segment of the
proceeding to the PRC–wide entity
(including Shino–Food, Jiangsu,
Chengdu Waiyuan, and Kunshan
Xin’an) as AFA. See Honey from the
People’s Republic of China: Final
Results and Final Rescission, In Part, of
Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review, 71 FR 34893 (June 16, 2006)
(AR3 Final Results).
Section 776(c) of the Act provides that
when the Department relies on the facts
otherwise available and relies on
‘‘secondary information,’’ the
Department shall, to the extent
practicable, corroborate that information
from independent sources reasonably at
the Department’s disposal. The SAA
states that ‘‘corroborate’’ means to
determine that the information used has
probative value. See SAA at 870. To
corroborate secondary information, the
Department will, to the extent
practicable, examine the reliability and
relevance of the information to be used.
With respect to Shino–Food, Jiangsu,
Chengdu Waiyuan, and Kunshan
Xin’an, we are applying the highest rate
from any previous segment of this
administrative proceeding as adverse
facts available, which is a rate
calculated for Anhui Honghui in the
AR3 Final Results. However, unlike
other types of information, such as
input costs or selling expenses, there are
no independent sources for calculated
dumping margins. The only source for
calculated margins is administrative
determinations. Thus, in an
administrative review, if the Department
chooses as total adverse facts available
a calculated dumping margin from the
current or a prior segment of the
proceeding, it is not necessary to
question the reliability of the margin for
that time period. See, e.g., Grain–
Oriented Electrical Steel From Italy;
Preliminary Results of Antidumping
Duty Administrative Review, 61 FR
36551, 36552 (July 11, 1996), affirmed
without change in Grain–Oriented
Electrical Steel from Italy; Final Results
of Antidumping Duty Administrative
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Review, 62 FR 2655, 2656 (January 17,
1997). With respect to the relevance
aspect of corroboration, however, the
Department will consider information
reasonably at its disposal to determine
whether a margin continues to have
relevance.
Where circumstances indicate that the
selected margin is not appropriate as
adverse facts available, the Department
will disregard the margin and determine
an appropriate margin. For example, in
Fresh Cut Flowers from Mexico: Final
Results of Antidumping Administrative
Review, 61 FR 6812, 6814 (February 22,
1996), the Department disregarded the
highest margin in that case as adverse
best information available (the
predecessor to facts available) because
the margin was based on another
company’s uncharacteristic business
expense resulting in an unusually high
margin. Similarly, the Department does
not apply a margin that has been
discredited. See D & L Supply Co. v.
United States, 113 F.3d 1220, 1221 (Fed.
Cir. 1997) (the Department will not use
a margin that has been judicially
invalidated). None of these unusual
circumstances are present here.
Accordingly, we determine that the
highest rate from any previous segment
of this administrative proceeding (i.e.,
the calculated rate of 212.39 percent) is
in accordance with the requirement of
section 776(c) that secondary
information be corroborated (i.e., that it
have probative value). The information
used in calculating this margin was
based on sales and production data of a
respondent in a prior review, as well as
on the most appropriate surrogate value
information available to the Department,
chosen from submissions by the parties
in that review, as well as information
gathered by the Department itself.
Furthermore, the calculation of this
margin was subject to comment from
interested parties in the proceeding. See
AR3 Final Results. Moreover, as there is
no information on the record of this
review that demonstrates that this rate
is not appropriately used as adverse
facts available for Shino–Food, Jiangsu,
Chengdu Waiyuan, and Kunshan
Xin’an, we determine that this rate has
probative value.
Affiliation
Anhui Honghui claims that it is
affiliated with Honghui Group (USA)
Corp., (Honghui USA) within the
meaning of section 771(33) of the Act.
Section 771(33) of the Act states that
affiliated persons include: (A) members
of a family, including brothers and
sisters (whether by the whole or half
blood), spouse, ancestors, and lineal
descendants; (B) any officer or director
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of an organization and such
organization; (C) partners; (D) employer
and employee; (E) any person directly or
indirectly owning, controlling, or
holding with power to vote, five percent
or more of the outstanding voting stock
or shares of any organization and such
organization; (F) two or more persons
directly or indirectly controlling,
controlled by, or under common control
with, any person; (G) any person who
controls any other person and such
other person. For purposes of this
paragraph, a person shall be considered
to control another person if the person
is legally or operationally in a position
to exercise restraint or direction over the
other person. To find affiliation between
companies, the Department must find
that at least one of the criteria listed
above is applicable to the respondents.
In the present case, Anhui Honghui
reports in Exhibit 7 of its section A
response that the same person controls
and owns both Anhui Honghui and
Honghui USA. Additionally, in the new
shipper review of honey from the PRC,
we found that Anhui Honghui was
affiliated with Honghui USA and that
the use of CEP sales was appropriate.
See Notice of Preliminary Results of
Antidumping Duty New Shipper
Reviews: Honey From the People’s
Republic of China, 69 FR 69350, 69353
(November 29, 2004), affirmed without
change in Honey From the People’s
Republic of China: Notice of Final
Results of Antidumping Duty New
Shipper Reviews, 70 FR 9271 (February
25, 2005) and AR3 Final Results. For
purposes of this review, there is no
information on the record that would
cause the Department to reconsider its
affiliation finding. Therefore, pursuant
to sections 771(33)(E) and (F) of the Act,
we preliminarily find that Anhui
Honghui and Honghui USA are
affiliated.
Normal Value Comparisons
To determine whether the
respondent’s sales of the subject
merchandise to the United States were
made at prices below normal value, we
compared their U.S. prices to normal
values, as described in the ‘‘U.S. Price’’
and ‘‘Normal Value’’ sections of this
notice.
U.S. Price
Because we have preliminarily
determined that Anhui Honghui and
Honghui USA are affiliated within the
meaning of section 771(33) of the Act,
we have classified all Honghui U.S.
sales as constructed export price (CEP)
transactions.
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Constructed Export Price
For Anhui Honghui we calculated
CEP in accordance with section 772(b)
of the Act, because certain sales were
made on behalf of the PRC–based
company by its U.S. affiliate to
unaffiliated purchasers. We based CEP
on packed, delivered or ex–warehouse
prices to the first unaffiliated purchaser
in the United States. Where appropriate,
we made deductions from the starting
price (gross unit price) for movement
expenses in accordance with section
772(c)(2)(A) of the Act; these expenses
included foreign inland freight, foreign
brokerage and handling charges,
international freight, marine insurance,
U.S. brokerage and handling, U.S.
warehouse fees, U.S. import (customs)
duties, U.S. inland freight expenses
from the port to warehouse and from the
port to the customer, and added (where
applicable) freight revenue.
In accordance with section 772(d)(1)
of the Act, we also deducted those
selling expenses associated with
economic activities occurring in the
United States, including direct selling
expenses, credit expenses, and indirect
selling expenses (inventory carrying
costs). We also made an adjustment for
profit in accordance with section
772(d)(3) of the Act.
As explained above, because Anhui
Honghui and Honghui USA are
affiliated within the meaning of section
771(33) of the Act, we are continuing to
analyze Honghui USA’s sales to the first
unaffiliated customer.
Where foreign inland freight, foreign
brokerage and handling, or marine
insurance, were provided by PRC
service providers or paid for in
renminbi, we valued these services
using Indian surrogate values (see
‘‘Factors of Production’’ section below
for further discussion). For those
expenses that were provided by a
market–economy provider and paid for
in market–economy currency, we used
the reported expense.
Normal Value
Non–Market-Economy Status
In every case conducted by the
Department involving the PRC, the PRC
has been treated as a NME country.
Pursuant to section 771(18)(C)(i) of the
Act, any determination that a foreign
country is an NME country shall remain
in effect until revoked by the
administering authority. See Tapered
Roller Bearings and Parts Thereof,
Finished and Unfinished, from the
People’s Republic of China: Preliminary
Results 2001–2002 Administrative
Review and Partial Rescission of
Review, 68 FR 7500 (February 14, 2003),
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unchanged in Tapered Roller Bearings
and Parts Thereof, Finished and
Unfinished, from the People’s Republic
of China: Final Results of 2001–2002
Administrative Review and Partial
Rescission of Review, 68 FR 70488
(December 18, 2003). None of the parties
to these reviews have contested such
treatment. Accordingly, we calculated
normal value (NV) in accordance with
section 773(c) of the Act, which applies
to NME countries.
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Surrogate Country
Section 773(c)(4) of the Act requires
the Department to value an NME
producer’s factors of production, to the
extent possible, in one or more market–
economy countries that: (1) are at a level
of economic development comparable to
that of the NME country, and (2) are
significant producers of comparable
merchandise. India is among the
countries comparable to the PRC in
terms of overall economic development,
as identified in the ‘‘Memorandum from
the Office of Policy to Abdelali
Elouaradia, Program Manager, Office 7’’
dated April 20, 2006. In addition, based
on publicly available information
placed on the record (e.g., world
production data), India is a significant
producer of honey. Accordingly, we
considered India the surrogate country
for purposes of valuing the factors of
production because it meets the
Department’s criteria for surrogate–
country selection. See ‘‘Memorandum to
the File: Selection of a Surrogate
Country,’’ dated November 30, 2006.
Factors of Production
In accordance with section 773(c) of
the Act, we calculated NV based on the
factors of production which included,
but were not limited to: (A) hours of
labor required; (B) quantities of raw
materials employed; (C) amounts of
energy and other utilities consumed;
and (D) representative capital costs,
including depreciation. We used factors
of production reported by the producer
or exporter for materials, energy, labor,
and packing, except as indicated. To
calculate NV, we multiplied the
reported unit factor quantities by
publicly available Indian values.
In selecting the surrogate values, we
considered the quality, specificity, and
contemporaneity of the data, in
accordance with our practice. See, e.g.,
Fresh Garlic from the People’s Republic
of China: Final Results of Antidumping
Duty New Shipper Review, 67 FR 72139
(December 4, 2002), and accompanying
Issues and Decision Memorandum at
Comment 6; and Certain Preserved
Mushrooms from China Final Results of
First New Shipper Review and First
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Jkt 211001
Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review: Certain Preserved Mushrooms
From the People’s Republic of China, 66
FR 31204 (June 11, 2001), and
accompanying Issues and Decision
Memorandum at Comment 5. When we
used publicly available import data
from the Ministry of Commerce of India
(Indian Import Statistics) for December
2004 through November 2005 to value
inputs sourced domestically by PRC
suppliers, we added to the Indian
surrogate values a surrogate freight cost
calculated using the shorter of the
reported distance from the domestic
supplier to the factory or the distance
from the nearest port of export to the
factory. See, Sigma Corp. v. United
States, 117 F. 3d 1401, 1408 (Fed. Cir.
1997). When we used non–import
surrogate values for factors sourced
domestically by PRC suppliers, we
based freight for inputs on the actual
distance from the input supplier to the
site at which the input was used.
In instances where we relied on
Indian import data to value inputs, in
accordance with the Department’s
practice, we excluded imports from both
NME countries and countries deemed to
maintain broadly available, non–
industry-specific subsidies which may
benefit all exporters to all export
markets (i.e., Indonesia, South Korea,
and Thailand) from our surrogate value
calculations. See, e.g., Final
Determination of Sales at Less Than
Fair Value: Certain Automotive
Replacement Glass Windshields from
the People’s Republic of China, 67 FR
6482 (February 12, 2002) and
accompanying Issues and Decision
Memorandum at Comment 1; see also,
Notice of Preliminary Determination of
Sales at Less Than Fair Value,
Postponement of Final Determination,
and Affirmative Preliminary
Determination of Critical
Circumstances: Certain Color Television
Receivers From the People’s Republic of
China, 68 FR 66800, 66808 (November
28, 2003), unchanged in the
Department’s final results at Notice of
Final Determination of Sales at Less
Than Fair Value, Postponement of Final
Determination, and Affirmative
Preliminary Determination of Critical
Circumstances: Certain Color Television
Receivers From the People’s Republic of
China, 69 FR 20594 (April 16, 2004).
For a complete discussion of the import
data that we excluded from our
calculation of surrogate values, see
‘‘Memorandum to the File: Factors of
Production Valuation Memorandum for
the Preliminary Results and Partial
Rescission of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review of Honey from
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109
the People’s Republic of China,’’ dated
December 21, 2006 (Factor Valuation
Memo). This memorandum is on file in
the Central Records Unit of the
Department, located in room B099.
Where we could not obtain publicly
available information contemporaneous
with the POR to value factors, we
adjusted the surrogate values using the
Indian Wholesale Price Index (WPI) as
published in the International Financial
Statistics of the International Monetary
Fund, for those surrogate values in
Indian rupees. We made currency
conversions, where necessary, pursuant
to 19 C.F.R. § 351.415, to U.S. dollars
using the daily exchange rate
corresponding to the reported date of
each sale. We relied on the daily
exchanges rates posted on the Import
Administration website (https://
ia.ita.doc.gov). See Factor Valuation
Memo.
We valued the factors of production
as follows:
To value raw honey, we took a
weighted average of the raw honey
prices for each month from December
2002 through June 2003, based on the
percentage of each type of honey
produced and sold, as derived from
EDA Rural Systems Pvt Ltd. website,
https://www.litchihoney.com (EDA data),
and as placed by the Department on the
record of this administrative review on
December 4, 2006. We inflated the value
for raw honey using the POR average
WPI rate.
The respondents in this review
submitted news articles to be used as
potential sources for the surrogate value
data for raw honey, including an article
entitled ‘‘Monograph on Traditional
Sciences and Technologies of India
Honey Industry’’ from the website
https://www.mandafamily.com/
indhonindresources.htm dated
December 2, 2005, an article entitled
‘‘Honey Prices Nosedive As Supply
Exceeds Demand’’ from https://
www.financialexpress.com dated July
11, 2006, and an article entitled ‘‘Honey,
the Sure Way To Make Money’’ from the
website https://www.thehindu.com,
dated September 11, 2005.
In addition, the Department
conducted extensive research on
potential raw honey surrogate values for
this administrative review. The
Department found the sources
submitted by respondents and its own
research not to be as reliable as EDA
data because of the lack of information
detailing how the conclusions stated in
the sources were determined,
researched, and collected. The EDA data
are supported with information
detailing how its figures are determined,
researched, and collected. Additionally,
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the EDA data provide multiple price
points over the course of an extended
period of time, whereas alternative data
report very few or just a single weighted
average price for a year or succession of
years. Moreover, the use of EDA data is
also consistent with the Department’s
recent decision in the third
administrative review of this order. See
AR3 Final Results, and accompanying
Issues and Decision Memorandum at
Comment 1. Therefore, because we find
EDA data to be the best available data
on the record, we have not used any of
these alternate sources proposed by
respondents in the preliminary results.
For a complete discussion of the
Department’s analysis of honey, see
pages 3–5 of the Factor Valuation
Memo.
To value coal, the Department derived
the weighted–average of the import
volume and value from the Indian
Import Statistics, the Harmonized
Commodity Description and Coding
System (HS) for HS 27011920 and as
placed by the Department on the record
of this administrative review on
December 4, 2006. In calculating the
surrogate values, the Department
eliminated the data of the countries,
identified as being non–market
economy countries (i.e., the PRC, and
Vietnam), and those deemed to maintain
broadly available, non–industry specific
subsidies that may benefit all exporters
to all export markets (i.e. Indonesia,
South Korea, and Thailand), as
identified above in the ‘‘Valuation of
Factors’’ section of Factor Valuation
Memo, from the dataset. See Factor
Valuation Memo at pages 2 and 7.
To value water, we calculated the
average price of water rates within and
outside of industrial zones from various
regions as reported by the Maharashtra
Industrial Development Corporation,
https://midcindia.org, dated June 1,
2003, and as placed by the Department
on the record of this administrative
review on December 4, 2006. We
inflated the value for water using the
POR average WPI rate. See Factor
Valuation Memo.
We valued electricity using the 2000
electricity price in India reported by the
International Energy Agency statistics
for Energy Prices & Taxes, Third
Quarter 2003, as submitted by Anhui
Honghui in its July 27, 2006 surrogate
values submission. We inflated the
value for electricity using the POR
average WPI rate. See Factor Valuation
Memo.
While Anhui Honghui also identified
diesel fuel as an input consumed in the
production of the subject merchandise,
the Department considers this material
as overhead rather than direct material
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:02 Dec 29, 2006
Jkt 211001
inputs. The Department therefore has
excluded diesel fuel from the normal
value calculation.
To value paint, we used Indian Import
Statistics, contemporaneous with the
POR. In calculating the surrogate values,
the Department eliminated the data of
the countries, identified as being non–
market economy countries (i.e., the PRC,
and Vietnam), and those deemed to
maintain broadly available, non–
industry specific subsidies that may
benefit all exporters to all export
markets (i.e., Indonesia, South Korea,
and Thailand), as identified above in the
‘‘Valuation of Factors’’ section of Factor
Valuation Memo, from the dataset. See
Factor Valuation Memo at pages 2 and
7. The Department calculated a POR
contemporaneous paint surrogate value
by deriving the weighted–average of the
import volume and value from the
Indian Import Statistics, as identified by
the designated Indian Trade
Classification, based on HS 3208 and HS
3209. After deriving the weight average
of each HS category of paint, the
Department calculated the simple
average of the two categories. See Factor
Valuation Memo at pages 2 and 5.
To value drums, we relied upon a
price quote from an Indian steel drum
manufacturer from September 2000,
which was used in the AR3 Final
Results, and as placed by the
Department on the record of this
administrative review on December 4,
2006. We inflated the value for drums
using the POR average WPI rate. See
Factor Valuation Memo.
To value factory overhead, selling,
general, and administrative expenses,
and profit, we relied upon publicly
available information in the 2004–2005
annual report of Mahabaleshwar Honey
Production Cooperative Society Ltd.
(MHPC), a producer of the subject
merchandise in India, and placed by the
Department on the record of this
administrative review on December 4,
2006. Anhui Honghui maintains in its
July 27, 2006, surrogate values
submission that Department should rely
on information available in an alternate
Indian producer’s financial statements,
that of Apis India Natural Products Ltd.
(Apis), 2003 2004. However, we
preliminarily find that MHPC data are
more appropriate than Apis data
because the Apis data are not as reliable
or detailed as that of MHPC. In addition,
MHPC materials include a complete
annual report, auditor’s report, and
complete profit and loss business
statements that segregate MHPC’s honey
and fruit canning businesses. We note
that MHPC is a honey processing
business and its financial statements
include details on the costs and
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Frm 00013
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
revenues related to its honey processing
business. Therefore, for these
preliminary results we are calculating
SG&A based on the MHPC data as
consistent with the AR3 Final Results.
For a further discussion of this issue,
see Factor Valuation Memo.
Because of the variability of wage
rates in countries with similar levels of
per capita gross domestic product, 19
C.F.R. § 351.408(c)(3) requires the use of
a regression–based wage rate. Therefore,
to value the labor input, we used the
PRC’s regression–based wage rate
published by Import Administration on
its website, https://www.ia.ita.doc.gov.
See Factor Valuation Memo.
To value truck freight, we calculated
a weighted–average freight cost based
on publicly available data from
www.infreight.com, an Indian inland
freight logistics resource website, and
submitted by Anhui Honghui in its July
27, 2006, surrogate value submission.
The Department valued international
freight, where necessary, based on
publicly available price quotes from a
Danish international shipping and
logistics provider, Maersk Line
(formerly Maersk Sealand), a division of
the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group, at
https://www.maerskline.com. See Factor
Valuation Memo.
We valued marine insurance, where
necessary, based on publicly available
price quotes from a marine insurance
provider at https://
www.rjgconsultants.com/
insurance.html, and as placed by the
Department on the record of this
administrative review on December 4,
2006. We valued international freight
expenses, where necessary, using
contemporaneous freight quotes that the
Department obtained from Maersk Line,
also as placed by the Department on the
record of this administrative review on
December 4, 2006. See Factor Valuation
Memo.
To value brokerage and handling, we
used a simple average of the publicly
summarized versions of the average
value for brokerage and handling
expenses reported in the U.S. sales
listings in Essar Steel Ltd.’s (Essar Steel)
February 28, 2005, submission in the
third antidumping duty review of
Certain Hot–Rolled Carbon Steel Flat
Products from India, Section C
Response, (February 28, 2005), and the
March 9, 2004, submission from Pidilite
Industries Ltd. (Pidilite) in the
antidumping duty investigation of
Carbazole Violet Pigment 23 from India,
Section C Response, (March 9, 2004),
which have been placed on the record
of this review. See Factor Valuation
Memo at Exhibit 20. Since both the
reported rate in Essar Steel and the
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Pidilite rate are not contemporaneous,
we adjusted these rates for inflation
using the POR wholesale WPI for India
to be current with the POR of this
administrative review. See Factor
Valuation Memo.
In accordance with 19 C.F.R.
§ 351.301(c)(3)(ii), for the final results of
this administrative review, interested
parties may submit publicly available
information to value the factors of
production until 20 days following the
date of publication of these preliminary
results.
Preliminary Results of Review
We preliminarily determine that the
following antidumping duty margins
exist:
Margin
(percent)
Exporter
Anhui Honghui Foodstuffs
(Group) Co., Ltd. (Anhui
Honghui) ..................................
PRC–Wide Rate (including
Shino–Food, Jiangsu,
Chengdu Waiyuan, and
Kunshan Xin’an) ......................
248.96%
212.39%
For details on the calculation of the
antidumping duty weighted–average
margin, see the analysis memorandum
for Anhui Honghui for the preliminary
results of the fourth administrative
review of the antidumping duty order
on honey from the PRC, dated December
21, 2006. Public Versions of this
memorandum are on file in the CRU.
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
Assessment Rates
Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.212(b), the
Department will determine, and CBP
shall assess, antidumping duties on all
appropriate entries. The Department
will issue appropriate assessment
instructions directly to CBP within 15
days of publication of the final results
of this review. For assessment purposes,
where possible, we calculated importer–
specific assessment rates for honey from
the PRC on a per–unit basis.
Specifically, we divided the total
dumping margins (calculated as the
difference between normal value and
export price or constructed export price)
for each importer by the total quantity
of subject merchandise sold to that
importer during the POR to calculate a
per–unit assessment amount. If these
preliminary results are adopted in our
final results of review, we will direct
CBP to levy importer–specific
assessment rates based on the resulting
per–unit (i.e., per–kilogram) rates by the
weight in kilograms of each entry of the
subject merchandise during the POR.
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19:02 Dec 29, 2006
Jkt 211001
Cash Deposits
The following cash–deposit
requirements will be effective upon
publication of the final results for
shipments of the subject merchandise
entered, or withdrawn from warehouse,
for consumption on or after the
publication date of the final results, as
provided by section 751(a)(2)(C) of the
Act: (1) For subject merchandise
exported by Anhui Honghui we will
establish a per–unit cash deposit rate
which will be equivalent to the
company–specific cash deposit
established in this review; (2) the cash
deposit rate for PRC exporters who
received a separate rate in a prior
segment of the proceeding will continue
to be the rate assigned in that segment
of the proceeding; (3) for all other PRC
exporters of subject merchandise which
have not been found to be entitled to a
separate rate (including Shino–Food,
Jiangsu, Chengdu Waiyuan, and
Kunshan Xin’an), the cash–deposit rate
will be the PRC–wide rate of 212.39
percent; (4) for all non–PRC exporters of
subject merchandise, the cash–deposit
rate will be the rate applicable to the
PRC supplier of that exporter.
These deposit requirements shall
remain in effect until publication of the
final results of the next administrative
review.
Schedule for Final Results of Review
The Department will disclose
calculations performed in connection
with the preliminary results of this
review within five days of the date of
publication of this notice in accordance
with 19 C.F.R. § 351.224(b). Any
interested party may request a hearing
within 30 days of publication of this
notice in accordance with 19 C.F.R.
§ 351.310(c). Any hearing would
normally be held 37 days after the
publication of this notice, or the first
workday thereafter, at the U.S.
Department of Commerce, 14th Street
and Constitution Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20230. Individuals who
wish to request a hearing must submit
a written request within 30 days of the
publication of this notice in the Federal
Register to the Assistant Secretary for
Import Administration, U.S. Department
of Commerce, Room 1870, 14th Street
and Constitution Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20230. Requests for a
public hearing should contain: (1) the
party’s name, address, and telephone
number; (2) the number of participants;
and (3) to the extent practicable, an
identification of the arguments to be
raised at the hearing.
Unless otherwise notified by the
Department, interested parties may
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
111
submit case briefs within 30 days of the
date of publication of this notice in
accordance with 19 C.F.R.
§ 351.309(c)(ii). As part of the case brief,
parties are encouraged to provide a
summary of the arguments not to exceed
five pages and a table of statutes,
regulations, and cases cited. Rebuttal
briefs, which must be limited to issues
raised in the case briefs, must be filed
within five days after the case brief is
filed. If a hearing is held, an interested
party may make an affirmative
presentation only on arguments
included in that party’s case brief and
may make a rebuttal presentation only
on arguments included in that party’s
rebuttal brief. Parties should confirm by
telephone the time, date, and place of
the hearing within 48 hours before the
scheduled time. The Department will
issue the final results of this review,
which will include the results of its
analysis of issues raised in the briefs,
not later than 120 days after the date of
publication of this notice.
Notification to Importers
This notice also serves as a
preliminary reminder to importers of
their responsibility under 19 C.F.R.
§ 351.402(f) to file a certificate regarding
the reimbursement of antidumping
duties prior to liquidation of the
relevant entries during these review
periods. Failure to comply with this
requirement could result in the
Secretary’s presumption that
reimbursement of antidumping duties
occurred and the subsequent assessment
of double antidumping duties.
This notice is published in
accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and
777(i)(1) of the Act.
Dated: December 20, 2006.
David M. Spooner,
Assistant Secretary for Import
Administration.
[FR Doc. E6–22496 Filed 12–29–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
A–570–863
Honey from the People’s Republic of
China: Intent to Rescind, In Part, and
Preliminary Results of Antidumping
Duty New Shipper Reviews
Import Administration,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of
Commerce (‘‘the Department’’) is
conducting new shipper reviews of the
antidumping duty order on honey from
AGENCY:
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 3, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 102-111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-22496]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A-570-863]
Honey from the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results
and Partial Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review
AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: In response to requests from interested parties, the
Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting the fourth
administrative review of the antidumping duty order on honey from the
People's Republic of China (PRC). The period of review (POR) is
December 1, 2004, through November 30, 2005. We preliminarily determine
that four companies have failed to cooperate by not acting to the best
of their ability to comply with our requests for information and, as a
result, should be assigned a rate based on adverse facts available. We
have also preliminarily determined that a fifth respondent made sales
to the United
[[Page 103]]
States of the subject merchandise at prices below normal value.
We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary
results. Parties that submit comments are requested to submit with each
argument (1) a statement of the issue and (2) a brief summary of the
argument(s).
EFFECTIVE DATE: January 3, 2007.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judy Lao or Helen Kramer, AD/CVD
Operations, Office 7, Import Administration, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and
Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-
7924 or (202) 482-0405, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On December 1, 2005, the Department published an Antidumping or
Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or Suspended Investigation;
Opportunity to Request an Administrative Review, 70 FR 72109 (December
1, 2005). On December 29, 2005, Jinfu Trading Co., Ltd. (Jinfu) and
Wuhan Shino-Food Trade Co., Ltd. (Shino-Food), requested, in accordance
with section 351.213(b) of the Department's regulations, an
administrative review of entries of subject merchandise made during the
POR. Also on December 29, 2005, Tianjin Eulia Honey Co., Ltd. (Eulia),
Cheng Du Wai Yuan Bee Products Co., Ltd. (Chengdu Waiyuan), and Kunshan
Xin'an Trade Co., Ltd. (Kunshan Xin'an) requested that the Department
conduct an administrative review of each respective company's entries
during the POR.
On December 30, 2005, the American Honey Producers Association and
the Sioux Honey Association (collectively, petitioners), requested, in
accordance with 19 C.F.R. Sec. 351.213(b), an administrative review of
entries of subject merchandise made during the POR by 25 Chinese
producers/exporters.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The request included: Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
Native Produce and Animal By-Products Import & Export Corp. (Inner
Mongolia); Kunshan Foreign Trading Company (Kunshan); Zhejiang
Native Produce and Animal By-Products Import & Export Corp. aka
Zhejiang Native Produce and Animal By-Products Import & Export Group
Corp.; High Hope International Group Jiangsu Foodstuffs Import &
Export Corp. (High Hope); Shanghai Eswell Enterprise Co., Ltd.;
Anhui Native Produce Import & Export Corp.; Henan Native Produce
Import & Export Corp. (Henan); Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
Native Produce and Animal By-Products; Shanghai Xiuwei International
Trading Co., Ltd. (Shanghai Xiuwei); Sichuan-Dujiangyan Dubao Bee
Industrial Co., Ltd. (Dubao); Wuhan Bee Healthy Company, Ltd.; Jinfu
Trading Co., Ltd.; Shanghai Shinomiel International Trade
Corporation (Shanghai Shinomiel); Anhui Honghui Foodstuff (Group)
Co., Ltd.; Cheng Du Wai Yuan Bee Products Co., Ltd.; Eurasia Bee's
Products Co., Ltd. (Eurasia); Foodworld International Club, Ltd.
(Foodworld); Inner Mongolia Youth Trade Development Co., Ltd. (Inner
Mongolia Youth); Apiarist Co.; Kunshan Xin'an Trade Co., Ltd.;
Shanghai Taiside Trading Co., Ltd.; Wuhan Shino-Food Trade co.,
Ltd.; Wuhu Qinshi Tangye; Zhejiang Willing Foreign Trading Co.,
Ltd.; and Jiangsu Kanghong Natural Healthfoods Co., Ltd.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also on December 30, 2005, Anhui Honghui Foodstuff (Group) Co.,
Ltd. (Anhui Honghui) and Jiangsu Kanghong Natural Healthfoods Co., Ltd.
(Jiangsu), requested, in accordance with section 19 C.F.R. Sec.
351.213(b), an administrative review of entries of subject merchandise
made during the POR.
On February 1, 2006, the Department initiated an administrative
review of 27 Chinese companies. See Initiation of Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews and Request for Revocation
in Part, 71 FR 5241 (February 1, 2006). On February 2, 2006, Anhui
Native Produce Import and Export Corporation submitted a no-shipments
letter to the Department requesting that the administrative review as
to the company be rescinded. On February 13, 2006, petitioners withdrew
their review request for Wuhan Bee Healthy Co., Ltd. On February 23,
2006, petitioners filed a letter withdrawing their review request for
Eurasia, Foodworld, Henan, High Hope, Inner Mongolia, Inner Mongolia
Youth, Kunshan, Shanghai Shinomiel, Shanghai Xiuwei, Dubao, Wuhu Qinshi
Tangye, and Zhejiang Willing Foreign Trading Co., Ltd. On February 27,
2006, Shanghai Eswell Enterprise Co., Ltd. (Eswell) submitted a no-
shipments letter to the Department requesting rescission of its
administrative review.
On February 28, 2006, the Department issued antidumping duty
questionnaires to nine PRC producers/exporters of the subject
merchandise covered by this administrative review. On March 6, 2006,
the Department issued an antidumping duty questionnaire to Apiarist Co.
On March 7, 2006, Zhejiang Native Produce and Animal By-Products
Import & Export Group Corp. (Zhejiang) and its affiliates, including
Zhejiang Willing Foreign Trading Co., Ltd., submitted a no-shipments
letter to the Department requesting rescission of its administrative
review.\2\ On March 9, 2006, both Chengdu Waiyuan and Kunshan Xin'an
withdrew their requests for administrative review, stating that neither
company intended to participate in the proceeding. On March 10, 2006,
Anhui Honghui, Jiangsu and Shino-Food submitted their respective
quantity and value responses to the Department's questionnaire. On
March 13, 2006, Jinfu submitted a no-shipments letter to the Department
requesting rescission of its administrative review.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ On March 9, 2006, Zhejiang submitted a letter clarifying
that it intended to include a request for rescission for both itself
and its affiliates, including Zhejiang Willing Foreign Trading Co.,
Ltd., in its March 7, 2006, letter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On March 20, 2006, Shino-Food submitted its section A response, and
the exhibits for its section A response on March 23, 2006. The exhibits
were submitted one day past the deadline for submission. See the
Department's March 22, 2006, Memorandum to the File.
On March 31, 2006, petitioners met with the Department to discuss
issues in the present administrative review and to notify the
Department that they had not been served with copies of Shino-Food's
section A response. See the Department April 3, 2006, Memorandum to the
File. On April 3, 2006, the Department submitted a Memorandum to the
File in which it explained that only three respondents (Anhui Honghui,
Jiangsu, and Shino-Food) are participating in this administrative
review (i.e., have not submitted no-shipment letters or letters
indicating they did not intend to participate in the administrative
review). See the Department's April 3, 2006, Memorandum to the File.
Accordingly, the Department explained that it would not engage in a
respondent selection process. On April 4, 2006, both Anhui Honghui and
Jiangsu submitted their responses to section A of the Department's
questionnaire. On April 7, 2006, petitioners withdrew their review
request for Anhui Native Produce Import & Export Corp., Apiarist Co.,
Eswell, Zhejiang, and Jinfu.
On April 17, 2006, the Department sent a memorandum to the
Department's Office of Policy requesting a list of surrogate countries
to be used in this proceeding, and received a memorandum containing the
Office of Policy's potential surrogate countries on April 20, 2006.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ The Department notes that a separate memorandum from the
Office of Policy was sent on April 24, 2006, to Office 7 Program
Manager Abdelali Elouaradia to account for the different period of
review for Eulia.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On April 19, 2006, the Department issued supplemental sections A,
C, and D questionnaires to Shino-Food. On April 27, 2006, petitioners
submitted comments on Shino-Food's, March 20, 2006, section A, and
April 3, 2006, sections C, and D questionnaire responses. On May 1,
2006, Anhui Honghui and Jiangsu submitted their respective responses to
sections C and D
[[Page 104]]
of the Department's supplemental questionnaires.
On May 4, 2006, Shino-Food submitted its response to the
Department's April 19, 2006, supplemental questionnaire. On June 17,
2006, Shino-Food submitted its response to the Department's June 9,
2006, supplemental questionnaire. On June 26, 2006, Anhui Honghui
submitted its response to the Department's June 8, 2006, supplemental
questionnaire. On June 27, 2006, Jiangsu submitted a withdrawal letter
to the Department in which it explained that it would no longer
participate in the administrative review. On July 27, 2006, Anhui
Honghui submitted comments on surrogate information with which to value
the factors of production in this proceeding. On June 30 and July 30,
2006, Shino-Food submitted letters to the Department stating that due
to the unavailability of its general manger, it would not be able to
participate in verification during any of the times proposed by the
Department. See ``Use of Facts Otherwise Available and the PRC-Wide
Rate'' section below for a complete discussion of Shino-Food.
On August 10, 2006, petitioners submitted comments premised on the
Department's verification of Anhui Honghui, which did not occur. On the
same date, Anhui Honghui submitted its sales reconciliation. On August
16, 2006, the Department published an extension of the time limits to
complete these preliminary results. See Honey from the People's
Republic of China: Notice of Extension of Time Limit for the
Preliminary Results of the Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 71
FR 47170 (August 16, 2006).
On September 8, 2006, the Department issued a second supplemental
questionnaire to Anhui Honghui, to which Anhui Honghui responded on
September 29, 2006. On November 13, 2006, the Department again extended
the time limits for the preliminary results. In the same publication
the Department also aligned the POR of the current new shipper reviews
with this administrative review. See Honey from the People's Republic
of China: Notice of Extension of Time Limit for the Preliminary Results
of the Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and New Shipper Reviews,
71 FR 66165 (November 13, 2006). On November 30, 2006, the Department
submitted a surrogate country selection memorandum to the file. See the
Department's November 30, 2006, Memorandum to the File. On December 4,
2006, the Department put on the record of the present administrative
review certain factors of production contained on the record of the
current new shipper reviews of honey from the PRC. See the Department's
December 4, 2006, Memorandum to the File.
Scope of the Antidumping Duty Order
The products covered by this order are natural honey, artificial
honey containing more than 50 percent natural honey by weight,
preparations of natural honey containing more than 50 percent natural
honey by weight, and flavored honey. The subject merchandise includes
all grades and colors of honey whether in liquid, creamed, comb, cut
comb, or chunk form, and whether packaged for retail or in bulk form.
The merchandise subject to this order is currently classifiable
under subheadings 0409.00.00, 1702.90.90, and 2106.90.99 of the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Although the
HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes,
the Department's written description of the merchandise under order is
dispositive.
Preliminary Partial Rescission of Administrative Review
As explained above, Anhui Native Produce Import & Export Corp.,
Eswell, Zhejiang, and Jinfu (collectively, ``the four companies'') all
submitted no-shipment letters to the Department in which they requested
rescission from this administrative review. To determine whether the
four companies made shipments during the POR, the Department examined
PRC honey shipment data maintained by U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP). Based on the information obtained from CBP, we found
no entries of subject merchandise during the POR manufactured or
exported by the four companies to the United States. Therefore,
pursuant to 19 C.F.R. Sec. 351.213(d)(3), the Department is
preliminarily rescinding this review with respect to the four
companies.
Additionally, as explained above, on February 23, 2006, pursuant to
19 C.F.R. Sec. 351.213(d)(1), petitioners withdrew their review
requests for the following 13 companies: Eurasia, Foodworld, Henan,
High Hope, Inner Mongolia\4\, Inner Mongolia Youth, Kunshan, Shanghai
Shinomiel, Shanghai Taiside Trading Co., Ltd., Shanghai Xiuwei, Dubao,
Wuhun Qinshi Tangye, and Zhejiang Willing Foreign Trading Co., Ltd. In
addition, on April 7, 2006, also pursuant to 19 C.F.R. Sec.
351.213(d)(1), petitioners withdrew their review request for Apiarist
Co.
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\4\ The Department notes that while petitioners requested a
review for Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Native Produce and
Animal By-Products Import & Export Corp., and Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region Native Produce and Animal By-Products separately,
both names refer to the same company.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Because petitioners submitted their requests for withdrawal of
review within the 90-day deadline mandated by 19 C.F.R. Sec.
351.213(d)(1), and no other party requested a review for these
companies, the Department is preliminarily rescinding this
administrative review with respect to the 14 companies listed above.
Separate Rates
In proceedings involving non-market economy (NME) countries, the
Department begins with a rebuttable presumption that all companies
within the country are subject to government control and, thus, should
be assigned a single antidumping duty rate unless an exporter can
affirmatively demonstrate an absence of government control, both in law
(de jure) and in fact (de facto), with respect to its export
activities. In this review Anhui Honghui submitted information in
support of its claim for a company-specific rate.
To establish whether a firm is sufficiently independent from
government control of its export activities to be entitled to a
separate rate, the Department analyzes each entity exporting the
subject merchandise under a test arising from the Notice of Final
Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value: Sparklers from the
People's Republic of China, 56 FR 20588 at Comment 1 (May 6, 1991)
(Sparklers), as amplified by Notice of Final Determination of Sales at
Less Than Fair Value: Silicon Carbide from the People's Republic of
China, 59 FR 22585, 22586-7 (May 2, 1994) (Silicon Carbide). The
Department assigns separate rates in NME cases only if respondents can
demonstrate the absence of both de jure and de facto government control
over export activities.
Anhui Honghui provided complete separate-rate information in its
responses to our original and supplemental questionnaires. Accordingly,
we performed a separate-rates analysis to determine whether this
exporter is independent from government control.
For the reasons discussed below in the section titled ``The Use of
Facts Otherwise Available and PRC-wide Rate,'' we have preliminarily
determined that Jiangsu, Shino-Food, Chengdu Waiyuan, and Kunshan
Xin'an do not qualify for a separate rate and are instead part of the
PRC-wide entity.
[[Page 105]]
Absence of De Jure Control
The Department considers the following de jure criteria in
determining whether an individual company may be granted a separate
rate: (1) an absence of restrictive stipulations associated with an
individual exporter's business and export licenses; (2) any legislative
enactments decentralizing control of companies; and (3) other formal
measures by the government decentralizing control of companies. See
Sparklers, 56 FR at 20589. As discussed below, our analysis shows that
the evidence on the record supports a preliminary finding of de jure
absence of government control for Anhui Honghui based on each of these
factors.
Anhui Honghui has placed on the record a number of documents to
demonstrate absence of de jure control, including the ``Company Law of
the People's Republic of China'' (December 29, 1993) (Company Law), the
``Foreign Trade Law of the People's Republic of China'' (May 12, 1994)
(Foreign Trade Law), the revised Foreign Trade Law (April 6, 2004), and
``Administrative Regulations of the People's Republic of China
Governing the Registration of Legal Corporations'' (June 3, 1988)
(Legal Corporations Regulations). See Exhibit 3 of Anhui Honghui's
April 4, 2006, submission (section A response). Anhui Honghui also
submitted a copy of its business license in Exhibit 4 of its section A
response. The Feidong County Industrial and Commercial Administration
Bureau issued this license. Anhui Honghui explains that its business
license defines the scope of the company's business activities and
ensures the company has sufficient capital to continue its business
operations. Anhui Honghui affirms that its business operations are
limited to the scope of the license, although the license can be
amended if the company wishes to expand the scope of its operations,
and that the license may be revoked if the company has insufficient
capital, or engages in activities outside the scope of its business.
Further, Anhui Honghui states that the license must be renewed or
reviewed annually, and to obtain a renewal, it must apply for a renewal
and provide a copy of its most recent financial statements to the
issuing authority.
We note that Anhui Honghui states that it is governed by the
Company Law, which it claims governs the establishment of limited
liability companies and provides that such a company shall operate
independently and be responsible for its own profits and losses. Anhui
Honghui has placed on the record the Foreign Trade Law and stated that
this law allows it full autonomy from the central authority in
governing its business operations. We have reviewed Article 11 of
Chapter II of the Foreign Trade Law, which states, ``foreign trade
dealers shall enjoy full autonomy in their business operation and be
responsible for their own profits and losses in accordance with the
law.'' As in prior cases, we have analyzed such PRC laws and found that
they establish an absence of de jure control. See, e.g., Pure Magnesium
from the People's Republic of China: Final Results of New Shipper
Review, 63 FR 3085, 3086 (January 21, 1998) and Preliminary Results of
New Shipper Review: Certain Preserved Mushrooms From the People's
Republic of China, 66 FR 30695, 30696 (June 7, 2001), as affirmed in
Final Results of New Shipper Review: Certain Preserved Mushrooms From
the People's Republic of China, 66 FR 45006 (August 27, 2001).
Therefore, we preliminarily determine that there is an absence of de
jure control over the export activities of Anhui Honghui.
Absence of De Facto Control
Typically, the Department considers four factors in evaluating
whether a respondent is subject to de facto government control of its
export functions: (1) whether the export prices are set by, or subject
to, the approval of a government authority; (2) whether the respondent
has authority to negotiate and sign contracts, and other agreements;
(3) whether the respondent has autonomy from the government in making
decisions regarding the selection of its management; and (4) whether
the respondent retains the proceeds of its export sales and makes
independent decisions regarding disposition of profits or financing of
losses. See Silicon Carbide, 59 FR at 22587. Therefore, the Department
has determined that an analysis of de facto control is critical in
determining whether respondents are, in fact, subject to a degree of
government control, which would preclude the Department from assigning
separate rates.
Anhui Honghui has asserted the following: (1) it is a privately
owned company; (2) there is no government participation in its setting
of export prices; (3) its general manager has the authority to bind
sales contracts; (4) the company's executive director appoints the
company's management and it does not have to notify government
authorities of its management selection; (5) there are no restrictions
on the use of its export revenue; and (6) its executive director
decides how profits will be used. We have examined the documentation
provided and note that it does not suggest that pricing is coordinated
among exporters of PRC honey.
Consequently, because evidence on the record indicates an absence
of government control, both in law and in fact, over Anhui Honghui's
export activities, we preliminarily determine that Anhui Honghui has
met the criteria for the application of a separate rate.
Use of Facts Otherwise Available and the PRC-Wide Rate
Anhui Honghui, Shino-Food, Jiangsu, Chengdu Waiyuan, and Kunshan
Xin'an were given the opportunity to respond to the Department's
questionnaires. As explained above, we received complete questionnaire
responses only from Anhui Honghui and we have calculated a separate
rate for this company. The PRC-wide rate applies to all entries of
subject merchandise except for entries from PRC producers/exporters
that have their own calculated rate.
Shino-Food, Jiangsu, Chengdu Waiyuan, and Kunshan Xin'an are
appropriately considered to be part of the PRC-wide entity because they
failed to establish their eligibility for a separate rate. Because the
PRC-wide entity did not provide requested information necessary to the
instant proceeding, it is necessary that we review the PRC-wide entity.
In doing so, we note that section 776(a)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930,
as amended, (the Act), mandates that the Department use the facts
available if necessary information is not available on the record of an
antidumping proceeding. In addition, section 776(a)(2) of the Act
provides that if an interested party or any other person: (A) withholds
information that has been requested by the administering authority; (B)
fails to provide such information by the deadlines for the submission
of the information or in the form and manner requested, subject to
subsections (c)(1) and (e) of section 782 of the Act; (C) significantly
impedes a proceeding under this title; or (D) provides such information
but the information cannot be verified as provided in section 782(i) of
the Act, the Department shall, subject to section 782(d) of the Act,
use the facts otherwise available in reaching the applicable
determination under this title. Where the Department determines that a
response to a request for information does not comply with the request,
section 782(d) of the Act provides that the Department shall promptly
inform the party submitting the response of the nature of the
deficiency and shall, to the extent practicable, provide that party
with an
[[Page 106]]
opportunity to remedy or explain the deficiency. Section 782(d) of the
Act additionally states that if the party submits further information
that is unsatisfactory or untimely, the administering authority may,
subject to subsection (e), disregard all or part of the original and
subsequent responses. Section 782(e) of the Act provides that the
Department shall not decline to consider information that is submitted
by an interested party and is necessary to the determination but does
not meet all the applicable requirements established by the
administering authority if: (1) the information is submitted by the
deadline established for its submission; (2) the information can be
verified; (3) the information is not so incomplete that it cannot serve
as a reliable basis for reaching the applicable determination; (4) the
interested party has demonstrated that it acted to the best of its
ability in providing the information and meeting the requirements
established by the administering authority with respect to the
information; and (5) the information can be used without undue
difficulties.
The Department finds that the PRC-wide entity (including Shino-
Food, Jiangsu, Chengdu Waiyuan, and Kunshan Xin'an) did not respond to
our request for information and that necessary information either was
not provided, or the information provided cannot be verified and is not
sufficiently complete to enable the Department to use it for these
preliminary results. Therefore, we find it necessary, under section
776(a)(2) of the Act, to use facts otherwise available as the basis for
the preliminary results of this review for the PRC-wide entity.
As stated above in the ``Background'' section, on December 29,
2005, Chengdu Waiyuan and Kunshan Xin'an requested an administrative
review. On December 30, 2005, petitioners requested a review with
respect to these two companies. On March 9, 2006, both Chengdu Waiyuan
and Kunshan Xin'an withdrew their requests for administrative review,
stating that neither company intended to participate in this
administrative review. In their February 23, 2006, and April 7, 2006,
withdrawal of review request letters, petitioners did not withdraw
their request for review with respect to either Chengdu Waiyuan or
Kunshan Xin'an.\5\ Chengdu Waiyuan and Kunshan Xin'an failed to respond
to the Department's antidumping questionnaires. The Department has no
information on the record for Chengdu Waiyuan and Kunshan Xin'an with
which to calculate a dumping margin or determine if either is eligible
for a separate rate in this proceeding; therefore, we find that Chengdu
Waiyuan and Kunshan Xin'an have significantly impeded the proceeding,
pursuant to sections 776(a)(2)(A) and 776(a)(2)(B) of the Act. Because
Chengdu Waiyuan and Kunshan Xin'an did not respond to the Department's
questionnaires, sections 782(d) and (e) of the Act are not applicable.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ In both their February 23, 2006, and April 7, 2006,
withdrawal of review request letters, petitioners stated that they
wanted the administrative review to continue with respect to both
Chengdu Waiyuan and Kunshan Xin'an.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
As stated above in the ``Background'' section, Shino-Food and
Jiangsu responded to the Department's initial antidumping
questionnaire, with Shino-Food responding to two subsequent
supplemental questionnaires. With regard to Shino-Food, as stated above
in the ``Background'' section, Shino-Food submitted letters to the
Department in which it stated that it would not participate in
verification, thereby failing to accommodate the Department's repeated
attempts to schedule verification. On June 23, 2006, the Department
contacted Shino-Food, and proposed a five-day verification of Shino-
Food at any time between July 10 and July 21, 2006. See the
Department's June 29, 2006, Memorandum to the File. Shino-Food informed
the Department that Shino-Food's general manager was experiencing
health problems and would not be able to accommodate the Department's
proposed verification dates. Shino-Food also informed the Department
that its sales manager would be in Europe during the proposed
verification dates and, thus, would not be able to assist the
Department with verification. On June 27, 2006, the Department proposed
verification of Shino-Food during August 14 - 18, 2006, after the
return of Shino Food's sales manager from his trip. On June 28, 2006,
Shino-Food stated it nevertheless would not able to participate in
verification during that week, because the general manager insisted
that he must be present for verification and that no one else could
participate in his absence. See the Department's June 29, 2006,
Memorandum to the File.
On June 30, 2006, the Department issued a letter to Shino-Food
reviewing the telephone conversations that took place between the
Department and the company. In this letter, the Department described
its attempts to schedule verification of Shino-Food and Shino-Food's
rejections of our requests. We provided an additional opportunity for
Shino-Food to accept the proposed verification dates of August 14 - 18,
2006, and warned the company that the Department would rely on adverse
information in conducting its dumping analysis if Shino-Food continued
to refuse to allow verification. On June 30, 2006, Shino-Food submitted
a letter reiterating that due to the unavailability of its general
manger, it would not be able to participate in verification during the
Department's proposed August dates.
On July 19, 2006, the Department transferred reconciliation
information collected from the verification of Shino-Food during the
antidumping duty new shipper review to the record of the present
administrative review. See the Department's July 19, 2006, Memorandum
to the File.
On July 20, 2006, Shino-Food submitted a letter to the Department
stating that due to the unavailability of its management personnel, it
would not be able to participate in verification during the production
season of the current POR. On July 24, 2006, the Department submitted a
memorandum to the file in which we clarified that the Department did
not request verification during the production season of Shino-Food.
The Department then made a third attempt to schedule verification with
Shino-Food for September 18 - 22, 2006, which the company also refused.
See the Department's July 24, 2006, Memorandum to the File.
Due to Shino-Food's refusal to schedule verification of its
submitted information by the Department, as explained above, we
preliminarily find that Shino-Food has failed to cooperate to the best
of its ability and has significantly impeded the proceeding. Therefore,
pursuant to sections 776(a)(2)(A), (B), and (C) of the Act, the
Department preliminarily finds that the application of facts available
is appropriate for these preliminary results.
With regard to Jiangsu, on June 27, 2006, the Department received a
letter from Jiangsu stating that it was withdrawing its participation
in this review. Due to Jiangsu's failure to participate in these
proceedings and in verification, we preliminarily find that Jiangsu has
significantly impeded the proceeding. Therefore, pursuant to sections
776(a)(2)(A), (B), and (C) of the Act, the Department preliminarily
finds that the application of facts available is appropriate for these
preliminary results.
Application of Adverse Inference
Section 776(b) of the Act provides that, in selecting from among
the facts available, the Department may use an inference that is
adverse to the interests of the respondent if it determines that
[[Page 107]]
a party has failed to cooperate to the best of its ability. Adverse
inferences are appropriate ``to ensure that the party does not obtain a
more favorable result by failing to cooperate than if it had cooperated
fully.'' See Statement of Administrative Action (SAA) accompanying the
Uruguay Round Agreements Act, H. Doc. No. 316, 103d Cong., 2d Session,
Vol. 1 (1994) at 870. In determining whether a respondent has failed to
cooperate to the best of its ability, the Department need not make a
determination regarding the willfulness of a respondent's conduct. See
Nippon Steel Corp. v. United States, 337 F. 3d 1373, 1379-1384 (Fed.
Cir. 2003). Furthermore, ''. . . affirmative evidence of bad faith on
the part of a respondent is not required before the Department may make
an adverse inference.'' Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties:
Final Rule, 62 FR 27296, 27340 (May 19, 1997).
In determining whether a party failed to cooperate to the best of
its ability, the Department considers whether a party could comply with
the request for information, and whether a party paid insufficient
attention to its statutory duties. See Pacific Giant Inc. v. United
States, 223 F. Supp 2d 1336, 1342-43 (CIT 2002). Furthermore, the
Department also considers the accuracy and completeness of submitted
information, and whether the respondent has hindered the calculation of
accurate dumping margins. See Certain Welded Carbon Steel Pipes and
Tubes from Thailand: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review, 62 FR 53808, 53819-53820 (October 16, 1997).
Pursuant to section 776(b) of the Act, we find that the PRC-wide
entity (including Shino-Food, Jiangsu, Chengdu Waiyuan, and Kunshan
Xin'an) failed to cooperate by not acting to the best of its ability to
comply with requests for information. As discussed above, the PRC-wide
entity informed the Department that it would not participate in this
review, or otherwise did not provide the requested information, despite
repeated requests that it do so. This information was in the sole
possession of the respondents, and could not be obtained otherwise.
Thus, because the PRC-wide entity refused to participate fully in this
proceeding, we find it appropriate to use an inference that is adverse
to the interests of the PRC-wide entity in selecting from among the
facts otherwise available. By doing so, we ensure that the companies
that are part of the PRC-wide entity will not obtain a more favorable
result by failing to cooperate than had they cooperated fully in this
review.
Selection of AFA Rate
In deciding which facts to use as AFA, section 776(b) of the Act
and 19 C.F.R. Sec. 351.308(c)(1) authorize the Department to rely on
information derived from: (1) the petition; (2) a final determination
in the investigation; (3) any previous review or determination; or (4)
any information placed on the record. In reviews, it is the
Department's practice to select, as AFA, the highest rate determined
for any respondent in any segment of the proceeding. See, e.g.,
Freshwater Crawfish Tail Meat from the People's Republic of China;
Notice of Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 68
FR 19504, 19508 (April 21, 2003).
The U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Federal Circuit have consistently upheld the Department's
practice in this regard. See Rhone Poulenc, Inc. v. United States, 899
F.2d 1185, 1190 (Fed. Circ. 1990) (Rhone Poulenc); NSK Ltd. v. United
States, 346 F. Supp. 2d 1312, 1335 (CIT 2004) (upholding a 73.55
percent total AFA rate, the highest available dumping margin from a
different respondent in a LTFV investigation); see also Kompass Food
Trading Int'l v. United States, 24 CIT 678, 683-684 (2000) (upholding a
51.16 percent total AFA rate, the highest available dumping margin from
a different, fully cooperative respondent); and Shanghai Taoen
International Trading Co., Ltd. v. United States, 360 F. Supp. 2d 1339,
1347-1348 (CIT 2005) (upholding a 223.01 percent total AFA rate, the
highest available dumping margin from a different respondent in a
previous administrative review).
The Department's practice when selecting an adverse rate from among
the possible sources of information is to ensure that the margin is
sufficiently adverse ``as to effectuate the purpose of the facts
available role to induce respondents to provide the Department with
complete and accurate information in a timely manner.'' Static Random
Access Memory Semiconductors from Taiwan; Final Determination of Sales
at Less than Fair Value, 63 FR 8909, 8932 (February 23, 1998). The
Department's practice also ensures ``that the party does not obtain a
more favorable result by failing to cooperate than if it had cooperated
fully.'' SAA at 870. See also Final Determination of Sales at Less than
Fair Value: Certain Frozen and Canned Warmwater Shrimp from Brazil, 69
FR 76910, 76912 (December 23, 2004). In choosing the appropriate
balance between providing respondents with an incentive to respond
accurately and imposing a rate that is reasonably related to the
respondent's prior commercial activity, selecting the highest prior
margin ``reflects a common sense inference that the highest prior
margin is the most probative evidence of current margins, because, if
it were not so, the importer, knowing of the rule, would have produced
current information showing the margin to be less.'' Rhone Poulenc, 899
F.2d at 1190.
Consistent with the statute, court precedent, and its practice, the
Department has preliminarily assigned the rate of 212.39 percent, the
highest rate determined in any segment of the proceeding to the PRC-
wide entity (including Shino-Food, Jiangsu, Chengdu Waiyuan, and
Kunshan Xin'an) as AFA. See Honey from the People's Republic of China:
Final Results and Final Rescission, In Part, of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review, 71 FR 34893 (June 16, 2006) (AR3 Final Results).
Section 776(c) of the Act provides that when the Department relies
on the facts otherwise available and relies on ``secondary
information,'' the Department shall, to the extent practicable,
corroborate that information from independent sources reasonably at the
Department's disposal. The SAA states that ``corroborate'' means to
determine that the information used has probative value. See SAA at
870. To corroborate secondary information, the Department will, to the
extent practicable, examine the reliability and relevance of the
information to be used. With respect to Shino-Food, Jiangsu, Chengdu
Waiyuan, and Kunshan Xin'an, we are applying the highest rate from any
previous segment of this administrative proceeding as adverse facts
available, which is a rate calculated for Anhui Honghui in the AR3
Final Results. However, unlike other types of information, such as
input costs or selling expenses, there are no independent sources for
calculated dumping margins. The only source for calculated margins is
administrative determinations. Thus, in an administrative review, if
the Department chooses as total adverse facts available a calculated
dumping margin from the current or a prior segment of the proceeding,
it is not necessary to question the reliability of the margin for that
time period. See, e.g., Grain-Oriented Electrical Steel From Italy;
Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 61 FR
36551, 36552 (July 11, 1996), affirmed without change in Grain-Oriented
Electrical Steel from Italy; Final Results of Antidumping Duty
Administrative
[[Page 108]]
Review, 62 FR 2655, 2656 (January 17, 1997). With respect to the
relevance aspect of corroboration, however, the Department will
consider information reasonably at its disposal to determine whether a
margin continues to have relevance.
Where circumstances indicate that the selected margin is not
appropriate as adverse facts available, the Department will disregard
the margin and determine an appropriate margin. For example, in Fresh
Cut Flowers from Mexico: Final Results of Antidumping Administrative
Review, 61 FR 6812, 6814 (February 22, 1996), the Department
disregarded the highest margin in that case as adverse best information
available (the predecessor to facts available) because the margin was
based on another company's uncharacteristic business expense resulting
in an unusually high margin. Similarly, the Department does not apply a
margin that has been discredited. See D & L Supply Co. v. United
States, 113 F.3d 1220, 1221 (Fed. Cir. 1997) (the Department will not
use a margin that has been judicially invalidated). None of these
unusual circumstances are present here. Accordingly, we determine that
the highest rate from any previous segment of this administrative
proceeding (i.e., the calculated rate of 212.39 percent) is in
accordance with the requirement of section 776(c) that secondary
information be corroborated (i.e., that it have probative value). The
information used in calculating this margin was based on sales and
production data of a respondent in a prior review, as well as on the
most appropriate surrogate value information available to the
Department, chosen from submissions by the parties in that review, as
well as information gathered by the Department itself. Furthermore, the
calculation of this margin was subject to comment from interested
parties in the proceeding. See AR3 Final Results. Moreover, as there is
no information on the record of this review that demonstrates that this
rate is not appropriately used as adverse facts available for Shino-
Food, Jiangsu, Chengdu Waiyuan, and Kunshan Xin'an, we determine that
this rate has probative value.
Affiliation
Anhui Honghui claims that it is affiliated with Honghui Group (USA)
Corp., (Honghui USA) within the meaning of section 771(33) of the Act.
Section 771(33) of the Act states that affiliated persons include: (A)
members of a family, including brothers and sisters (whether by the
whole or half blood), spouse, ancestors, and lineal descendants; (B)
any officer or director of an organization and such organization; (C)
partners; (D) employer and employee; (E) any person directly or
indirectly owning, controlling, or holding with power to vote, five
percent or more of the outstanding voting stock or shares of any
organization and such organization; (F) two or more persons directly or
indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with,
any person; (G) any person who controls any other person and such other
person. For purposes of this paragraph, a person shall be considered to
control another person if the person is legally or operationally in a
position to exercise restraint or direction over the other person. To
find affiliation between companies, the Department must find that at
least one of the criteria listed above is applicable to the
respondents.
In the present case, Anhui Honghui reports in Exhibit 7 of its
section A response that the same person controls and owns both Anhui
Honghui and Honghui USA. Additionally, in the new shipper review of
honey from the PRC, we found that Anhui Honghui was affiliated with
Honghui USA and that the use of CEP sales was appropriate. See Notice
of Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty New Shipper Reviews: Honey
From the People's Republic of China, 69 FR 69350, 69353 (November 29,
2004), affirmed without change in Honey From the People's Republic of
China: Notice of Final Results of Antidumping Duty New Shipper Reviews,
70 FR 9271 (February 25, 2005) and AR3 Final Results. For purposes of
this review, there is no information on the record that would cause the
Department to reconsider its affiliation finding. Therefore, pursuant
to sections 771(33)(E) and (F) of the Act, we preliminarily find that
Anhui Honghui and Honghui USA are affiliated.
Normal Value Comparisons
To determine whether the respondent's sales of the subject
merchandise to the United States were made at prices below normal
value, we compared their U.S. prices to normal values, as described in
the ``U.S. Price'' and ``Normal Value'' sections of this notice.
U.S. Price
Because we have preliminarily determined that Anhui Honghui and
Honghui USA are affiliated within the meaning of section 771(33) of the
Act, we have classified all Honghui U.S. sales as constructed export
price (CEP) transactions.
Constructed Export Price
For Anhui Honghui we calculated CEP in accordance with section
772(b) of the Act, because certain sales were made on behalf of the
PRC-based company by its U.S. affiliate to unaffiliated purchasers. We
based CEP on packed, delivered or ex-warehouse prices to the first
unaffiliated purchaser in the United States. Where appropriate, we made
deductions from the starting price (gross unit price) for movement
expenses in accordance with section 772(c)(2)(A) of the Act; these
expenses included foreign inland freight, foreign brokerage and
handling charges, international freight, marine insurance, U.S.
brokerage and handling, U.S. warehouse fees, U.S. import (customs)
duties, U.S. inland freight expenses from the port to warehouse and
from the port to the customer, and added (where applicable) freight
revenue.
In accordance with section 772(d)(1) of the Act, we also deducted
those selling expenses associated with economic activities occurring in
the United States, including direct selling expenses, credit expenses,
and indirect selling expenses (inventory carrying costs). We also made
an adjustment for profit in accordance with section 772(d)(3) of the
Act.
As explained above, because Anhui Honghui and Honghui USA are
affiliated within the meaning of section 771(33) of the Act, we are
continuing to analyze Honghui USA's sales to the first unaffiliated
customer.
Where foreign inland freight, foreign brokerage and handling, or
marine insurance, were provided by PRC service providers or paid for in
renminbi, we valued these services using Indian surrogate values (see
``Factors of Production'' section below for further discussion). For
those expenses that were provided by a market-economy provider and paid
for in market-economy currency, we used the reported expense.
Normal Value
Non-Market-Economy Status
In every case conducted by the Department involving the PRC, the
PRC has been treated as a NME country. Pursuant to section
771(18)(C)(i) of the Act, any determination that a foreign country is
an NME country shall remain in effect until revoked by the
administering authority. See Tapered Roller Bearings and Parts Thereof,
Finished and Unfinished, from the People's Republic of China:
Preliminary Results 2001-2002 Administrative Review and Partial
Rescission of Review, 68 FR 7500 (February 14, 2003),
[[Page 109]]
unchanged in Tapered Roller Bearings and Parts Thereof, Finished and
Unfinished, from the People's Republic of China: Final Results of 2001-
2002 Administrative Review and Partial Rescission of Review, 68 FR
70488 (December 18, 2003). None of the parties to these reviews have
contested such treatment. Accordingly, we calculated normal value (NV)
in accordance with section 773(c) of the Act, which applies to NME
countries.
Surrogate Country
Section 773(c)(4) of the Act requires the Department to value an
NME producer's factors of production, to the extent possible, in one or
more market-economy countries that: (1) are at a level of economic
development comparable to that of the NME country, and (2) are
significant producers of comparable merchandise. India is among the
countries comparable to the PRC in terms of overall economic
development, as identified in the ``Memorandum from the Office of
Policy to Abdelali Elouaradia, Program Manager, Office 7'' dated April
20, 2006. In addition, based on publicly available information placed
on the record (e.g., world production data), India is a significant
producer of honey. Accordingly, we considered India the surrogate
country for purposes of valuing the factors of production because it
meets the Department's criteria for surrogate-country selection. See
``Memorandum to the File: Selection of a Surrogate Country,'' dated
November 30, 2006.
Factors of Production
In accordance with section 773(c) of the Act, we calculated NV
based on the factors of production which included, but were not limited
to: (A) hours of labor required; (B) quantities of raw materials
employed; (C) amounts of energy and other utilities consumed; and (D)
representative capital costs, including depreciation. We used factors
of production reported by the producer or exporter for materials,
energy, labor, and packing, except as indicated. To calculate NV, we
multiplied the reported unit factor quantities by publicly available
Indian values.
In selecting the surrogate values, we considered the quality,
specificity, and contemporaneity of the data, in accordance with our
practice. See, e.g., Fresh Garlic from the People's Republic of China:
Final Results of Antidumping Duty New Shipper Review, 67 FR 72139
(December 4, 2002), and accompanying Issues and Decision Memorandum at
Comment 6; and Certain Preserved Mushrooms from China Final Results of
First New Shipper Review and First Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review: Certain Preserved Mushrooms From the People's Republic of
China, 66 FR 31204 (June 11, 2001), and accompanying Issues and
Decision Memorandum at Comment 5. When we used publicly available
import data from the Ministry of Commerce of India (Indian Import
Statistics) for December 2004 through November 2005 to value inputs
sourced domestically by PRC suppliers, we added to the Indian surrogate
values a surrogate freight cost calculated using the shorter of the
reported distance from the domestic supplier to the factory or the
distance from the nearest port of export to the factory. See, Sigma
Corp. v. United States, 117 F. 3d 1401, 1408 (Fed. Cir. 1997). When we
used non-import surrogate values for factors sourced domestically by
PRC suppliers, we based freight for inputs on the actual distance from
the input supplier to the site at which the input was used.
In instances where we relied on Indian import data to value inputs,
in accordance with the Department's practice, we excluded imports from
both NME countries and countries deemed to maintain broadly available,
non-industry-specific subsidies which may benefit all exporters to all
export markets (i.e., Indonesia, South Korea, and Thailand) from our
surrogate value calculations. See, e.g., Final Determination of Sales
at Less Than Fair Value: Certain Automotive Replacement Glass
Windshields from the People's Republic of China, 67 FR 6482 (February
12, 2002) and accompanying Issues and Decision Memorandum at Comment 1;
see also, Notice of Preliminary Determination of Sales at Less Than
Fair Value, Postponement of Final Determination, and Affirmative
Preliminary Determination of Critical Circumstances: Certain Color
Television Receivers From the People's Republic of China, 68 FR 66800,
66808 (November 28, 2003), unchanged in the Department's final results
at Notice of Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value,
Postponement of Final Determination, and Affirmative Preliminary
Determination of Critical Circumstances: Certain Color Television
Receivers From the People's Republic of China, 69 FR 20594 (April 16,
2004). For a complete discussion of the import data that we excluded
from our calculation of surrogate values, see ``Memorandum to the File:
Factors of Production Valuation Memorandum for the Preliminary Results
and Partial Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review of
Honey from the People's Republic of China,'' dated December 21, 2006
(Factor Valuation Memo). This memorandum is on file in the Central
Records Unit of the Department, located in room B099.
Where we could not obtain publicly available information
contemporaneous with the POR to value factors, we adjusted the
surrogate values using the Indian Wholesale Price Index (WPI) as
published in the International Financial Statistics of the
International Monetary Fund, for those surrogate values in Indian
rupees. We made currency conversions, where necessary, pursuant to 19
C.F.R. Sec. 351.415, to U.S. dollars using the daily exchange rate
corresponding to the reported date of each sale. We relied on the daily
exchanges rates posted on the Import Administration website (https://
ia.ita.doc.gov). See Factor Valuation Memo.
We valued the factors of production as follows:
To value raw honey, we took a weighted average of the raw honey
prices for each month from December 2002 through June 2003, based on
the percentage of each type of honey produced and sold, as derived from
EDA Rural Systems Pvt Ltd. website, https://www.litchihoney.com (EDA
data), and as placed by the Department on the record of this
administrative review on December 4, 2006. We inflated the value for
raw honey using the POR average WPI rate.
The respondents in this review submitted news articles to be used
as potential sources for the surrogate value data for raw honey,
including an article entitled ``Monograph on Traditional Sciences and
Technologies of India Honey Industry'' from the website https://
www.mandafamily.com/indhonindresources.htm dated December 2, 2005, an
article entitled ``Honey Prices Nosedive As Supply Exceeds Demand''
from https://www.financialexpress.com dated July 11, 2006, and an
article entitled ``Honey, the Sure Way To Make Money'' from the website
https://www.thehindu.com, dated September 11, 2005.
In addition, the Department conducted extensive research on
potential raw honey surrogate values for this administrative review.
The Department found the sources submitted by respondents and its own
research not to be as reliable as EDA data because of the lack of
information detailing how the conclusions stated in the sources were
determined, researched, and collected. The EDA data are supported with
information detailing how its figures are determined, researched, and
collected. Additionally,
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the EDA data provide multiple price points over the course of an
extended period of time, whereas alternative data report very few or
just a single weighted average price for a year or succession of years.
Moreover, the use of EDA data is also consistent with the Department's
recent decision in the third administrative review of this order. See
AR3 Final Results, and accompanying Issues and Decision Memorandum at
Comment 1. Therefore, because we find EDA data to be the best available
data on the record, we have not used any of these alternate sources
proposed by respondents in the preliminary results. For a complete
discussion of the Department's analysis of honey, see pages 3-5 of the
Factor Valuation Memo.
To value coal, the Department derived the weighted-average of the
import volume and value from the Indian Import Statistics, the
Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) for HS 27011920
and as placed by the Department on the record of this administrative
review on December 4, 2006. In calculating the surrogate values, the
Department eliminated the data of the countries, identified as being
non-market economy countries (i.e., the PRC, and Vietnam), and those
deemed to maintain broadly available, non-industry specific subsidies
that may benefit all exporters to all export markets (i.e. Indonesia,
South Korea, and Thailand), as identified above in the ``Valuation of
Factors'' section of Factor Valuation Memo, from the dataset. See
Factor Valuation Memo at pages 2 and 7.
To value water, we calculated the average price of water rates
within and outside of industrial zones from various regions as reported
by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, https://
midcindia.org, dated June 1, 2003, and as placed by the Department on
the record of this administrative review on December 4, 2006. We
inflated the value for water using the POR average WPI rate. See Factor
Valuation Memo.
We valued electricity using the 2000 electricity price in India
reported by the International Energy Agency statistics for Energy
Prices & Taxes, Third Quarter 2003, as submitted by Anhui Honghui in
its July 27, 2006 surrogate values submission. We inflated the value
for electricity using the POR average WPI rate. See Factor Valuation
Memo.
While Anhui Honghui also identified diesel fuel as an input
consumed in the production of the subject merchandise, the Department
considers this material as overhead rather than direct material inputs.
The Department therefore has excluded diesel fuel from the normal value
calculation.
To value paint, we used Indian Import Statistics, contemporaneous
with the POR. In calculating the surrogate values, the Department
eliminated the data of the countries, identified as being non-market
economy countries (i.e., the PRC, and Vietnam), and those deemed to
maintain broadly available, non-industry specific subsidies that may
benefit all exporters to all export markets (i.e., Indonesia, South
Korea, and Thailand), as identified above in the ``Valuation of
Factors'' section of Factor Valuation Memo, from the dataset. See
Factor Valuation Memo at pages 2 and 7. The Department calculated a POR
contemporaneous paint surrogate value by deriving the weighted-average
of the import volume and value from the Indian Import Statistics, as
identified by the designated Indian Trade Classification, based on HS
3208 and HS 3209. After deriving the weight average of each HS category
of paint, the Department calculated the simple average of the two
categories. See Factor Valuation Memo at pages 2 and 5.
To value drums, we relied upon a price quote from an Indian steel
drum manufacturer from September 2000, which was used in the AR3 Final
Results, and as placed by the Department on the record of this
administrative review on December 4, 2006. We inflated the value for
drums using the POR average WPI rate. See Factor Valuation Memo.
To value factory overhead, selling, general, and administrative
expenses, and profit, we relied upon publicly available information in
the 2004-2005 annual report of Mahabaleshwar Honey Production
Cooperative Society Ltd. (MHPC), a producer of the subject merchandise
in India, and placed by the Department on the record of this
administrative review on December 4, 2006. Anhui Honghui maintains in
its July 27, 2006, surrogate values submission that Department should
rely on information available in an alternate Indian producer's
financial statements, that of Apis India Natural Products Ltd. (Apis),
2003 2004. However, we preliminarily find that MHPC data are more
appropriate than Apis data because the Apis data are not as reliable or
detailed as that of MHPC. In addition, MHPC materials include a
complete annual report, auditor's report, and complete profit and loss
business statements that segregate MHPC's honey and fruit canning
businesses. We note that MHPC is a honey processing business and its
financial statements include details on the costs and revenues related
to its honey processing business. Therefore, for these preliminary
results we are calculating SG&A based on the MHPC data as consistent
with the AR3 Final Results. For a further discussion of this issue, see
Factor Valuation Memo.
Because of the variability of wage rates in countries with similar
levels of per capita gross domestic product, 19 C.F.R. Sec.
351.408(c)(3) requires the use of a regression-based wage rate.
Therefore, to value the labor input, we used the PRC's regression-based
wage rate published by Import Administration on its website, https://
www.ia.ita.doc.gov. See Factor Valuation Memo.
To value truck freight, we calculated a weighted-average freight
cost based on publicly available data from www.infreight.com, an Indian
inland freight logistics resource website, and submitted by Anhui
Honghui in its July 27, 2006, surrogate value submission. The
Department valued international freight, where necessary, based on
publicly available price quotes from a Danish international shipping
and logistics provider, Maersk Line (formerly Maersk Sealand), a
division of the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group, at https://
www.maerskline.com. See Factor Valuation Memo.
We valued marine insurance, where necessary, based on publicly
available price quotes from a marine insurance provider at https://
www.rjgconsultants.com/insurance.html, and as placed by the Department
on the record of this administrative review on December 4, 2006. We
valued international freight expenses, where necessary, using
contemporaneous freight quotes that the Department obtained from Maersk
Line, also as placed by the Department on the record of this
administrative review on December 4, 2006. See Factor Valuation Memo.
To value brokerage and handling, we used a simple average of the
publicly summarized versions of the average value for brokerage and
handling expenses reported in the U.S. sales listings in Essar Steel
Ltd.'s (Essar Steel) February 28, 2005, submission in the third
antidumping duty review of Certain Hot-Rolled Carbon Steel Flat
Products from India, Section C Response, (February 28, 2005), and the
March 9, 2004, submission from Pidilite Industries Ltd. (Pidilite) in
the antidumping duty investigation of Carbazole Violet Pigment 23 from
India, Section C Response, (March 9, 2004), which have been placed on
the record of this review. See Factor Valuation Memo at Exhibit 20.
Since both the reported rate in Essar Steel and the
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Pidilite rate are not contemporaneous, we adjusted these rates for
inflation using the POR wholesale WPI for India to be current with the
POR of this administrative review. See Factor Valuation Memo.
In accordance with 19 C.F.R. Sec. 351.301(c)(3)(ii), for the final
results of this administrative review, interested parties may submit
publicly available information to value the factors of production until
20 days following the date of publication of these preliminary results.
Preliminary Results of Review
We preliminarily determine that the following antidumping duty
margins exist:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Margin
Exporter (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anhui Honghui Foodstuffs (Group) Co., Ltd. (Anhui Honghui).. 248.96[per
cnt]
PRC-Wide Rate (including Shino-Food, Jiangsu, Chengdu 212.39[per
Waiyuan, and Kunshan Xin'an)............................... cnt]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
For details on the calculation of the antidumping duty weighted-
average margin, see the analysis memorandum for Anhui Honghui for the
preliminary results of the fourth administrative review of the
antidumping duty order on honey from the PRC, dated December 21, 2006.
Public Versions of this memorandum are on file in the CRU.
Assessment Rates
Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.212(b), the Department will determine, and
CBP shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries. The
Department will issue appropriate assessment instructions directly to
CBP within 15 days of publication of the final results of this review.
For assessment purposes, where possible, we calculated importer-
specific assessment rates for honey from the PRC on a per-unit basis.
Specifically, we divided the total dumping margins (calculated as the
difference between normal value and export price or constructed export
price) for each importer by the total quantity of subject merchandise
sold to that importer during the POR to calculate a per-unit assessment
amount. If these preliminary results are adopted in our final results
of review, we will direct CBP to lev